Members: Allowances

Frank Doran: To ask the Leader of the House whether the Members Estimate Committee has drawn up a detailed proposal for a communications allowance for hon. Members to assist in the work of communicating with the public on parliamentary business in accordance with the Resolution of 1 November 2006.

Jack Straw: The Members Estimates Committee's report on the 'Communications Allowance' was published yesterday as House of Commons Paper number 319.

Afghanistan: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent estimate is of the number of internally-displaced people in Afghanistan; and what assessment he has made of recent trends in that number.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Afghanistan (GoA) and UN monitor the numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Afghanistan. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR) most recent assessment, conducted in early 2007, the estimated figure for longstanding IDPs in Afghanistan is some 130,000. Around 85 per cent. of these are located in four settlements in the south of the country.
	DFID is not directly involved in making such assessments, but monitors UN/GoA figures closely. We are most closely involved with IDPs in Helmand, where last year the UN estimated that around 2,800 families had been displaced. The UK Government responded to this by providing food aid and essential items like soap and blankets for 3,000 internally displaced families. This aid was distributed by the GoA.

Developing Countries: Air Pollution

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy to raise the matter of the impact of indoor air pollution in the developing world at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York in April.

Gareth Thomas: The 15(th) Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 15) will take place in New York from 30 April to 11 May 2007. The four main themes this year are; Energy for Sustainable Development, Air Pollution/Atmosphere, Industrial Development and Climate Change.
	The UK is working with the current EU presidency to agree EU priorities for CSD15, led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with the support of DFID. These include reducing indoor air pollution due to the use of basic biomass fuels by households in developing countries for cooking and heating. The use of basic biomass arises from the lack of access to reliable, affordable and clean energy supplies. We will continue efforts to ensure this concern is included in the formal EU position and raised at CSD 15.

Developing Countries: Air Pollution

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to tackle deaths in the developing world caused by indoor air pollution.

Gareth Thomas: Indoor air pollution is a considerable health hazard for approximately 2.4 billion people around the world relying on poorly designed wood, dung and coal burning stoves for their cooking and heating. DFID has funded research into the problem, with a current £253,000 programme due to end in July 2007. This is being carried out by Practical Action, a UK based non-government organisation active in many developing countries.
	While raising awareness of the health risks may change behaviour to reduce exposure to smoke, the best solution is to improve access to reliable, affordable and clean energy supplies. DFID is supporting international efforts and programmes to improve access, including the EU Energy Initiative for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development (EUEI), the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP).
	We are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to ensure indoor pollution is raised at the forthcoming 15(th) Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 15) taking place in New York from 30 April to 11 May 2007.

Developing Countries: Water

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage the use of reed-bed technology as a means of tackling water problems in the developing world.

Hilary Benn: Water shortages exist in many countries, and there is a risk of water pollution from human activities. Technologies for sanitation and wastewater management for specific situations are recommended on the basis of individual merits, and with the agreement of partners, taking account of local technical, financial, economic, social, and other considerations.
	The use of Gravel Hydroponic (GBH) reed beds, conventional reed beds or constructed wetlands, for wastewater treatment has been the subject of various DFID funded research projects over the last 20 years.
	For instance, from 1991 to 1995, DFID funded research into the use of reed beds to treat domestic and industrial wastewater in Egypt. Teams of scientists and engineers in the UK (University of Portsmouth) and Egypt (Suez Canal University) built, monitored and evaluated the operational performance of constructed wetlands as an appropriate technology for semi-arid, developing countries. The research did not provide clear evidence that reed beds were the most appropriate wastewater treatment option, and showed that industrial wastes resulted in erratic performance efficiency.
	The outputs of successful research and similar projects are promoted through dissemination channels such as our resource centre network and websites. These technologies have also been promoted in DFID programmes where appropriate, one in Bangladesh in collaboration with WATER AID has seen the use of reed bed technology in the urban environment evidenced.
	DFID Central Research Department is currently considering whether to develop a water and sanitation 'Research into Use' programme to promote the adoption of technologies generated through research. Such a programme might analyse the potential of outputs and fund uptake promotion of those technologies with greatest potential.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to assist those who have been affected by economic collapse in Zimbabwe;
	(2)  what recent representations his Department has received on the withholding of aid from Zimbabwe due to that country's political situation.

Hilary Benn: DFID has received no representations on the withholding of aid to Zimbabwe. The UK does not give direct funding to the Government of Zimbabwe. All DFID's funding is channelled through NGOs and UN agencies, much of it programmed jointly with other donors. We do not believe in cutting direct assistance to poor Zimbabweans and thus punishing them further for their unaccountable government.
	The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors of humanitarian support to Zimbabwe, supporting over 1.5 million of the poorest people. Over the last five years, DFID has spent approximately £143 million in Zimbabwe, including over £33 million in the last financial year. This funding prioritises HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and supporting orphans and vulnerable children. DFID also supports civil society organisations to promote better governance and human rights. Our current programmes will help ensure that an additional 30,000 people receive anti-retroviral treatment, will provide health care for around 350,000 children, promote food security in urban and rural areas and assist extremely vulnerable displaced people.

Armed Forces: Dental Health

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the oral health of recruits to each of the armed services in each year for which records are available.

Derek Twigg: The Defence Dental Services (DDS) conduct an oral health assessment of all recruits to the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. This assessment is of the oral fitness status and initial treatment requirement for each individual and is recorded in the individual's dental record. HQ DDS hold a record of individual fitness rates for recruits from 2004. The table shows the percentage of recruits from each service since records began who were:
	1—Fit
	2—Fit for role (dental work may be needed but no disease present)
	3—Unfit
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Royal Navy  Army  RAF 
			   1  2  3  1  2  3  1  2  3 
			 2004 68.0 28.2 3.8 29.1 33.0 37.9 51.0 39.6 9.4 
			 2005 43.0 44.3 12.7 30.8 36.5 32.6 50.3 40.0 9.7 
			 2005 44.3 43.6 12.1 30.4 36.8 32.4 54.8 37.0 82

Armed Forces: Voluntary Organisations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his Department's charging regime is for events organised by charities when the main beneficiary is a services charity;
	(2)  on which occasions his Department waived fees for charity events organised by services charities in the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06; and what the total amount of fees waived was;
	(3)  what charges his Department made on events organised by service charities for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The MOD is required to recover the full cost of the services or facilities it provides to external bodies. HM Treasury rules for all Government Departments state that there are no special arrangements for the treatment of charities whether service or other.
	The information on charges made for events organised by service charities is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Army: Costs

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the running costs were of the housing provided by his Department to the  (a) Adjutant General,  (b) Chief of the General Staff and  (c) members of the Army Board in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the market value of the housing provided by his Department to the  (a) Chief of the General Staff,  (b) Adjutant General and  (c) members of the Army Board.

Derek Twigg: The Army Board consists of the Secretary of State for Defence, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the Chief of the General Staff, the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Commander in Chief Land Command, Adjutant General, Assistant Chief of the General Staff, the Director General of Land Equipment, Master General of the Ordnance and General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland).
	Civilian members of the Army Board are not entitled to occupy defence accommodation.
	The following table shows the latest available (financial year 2005-06) running costs for MOD provided housing.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Post 
			   CGS  AG  GOC NI  CinC Land 
			 Rent 8,645 11,088 n/a 14,490 
			 Utilities 5,657.15 5,158.02 4,739.30 6,629.43 
			 Maintenance 453 13,284.44 4,702.52 7,475.57 
			 Staff 130,103.13 61,259.59 110,161.19 155,082.01 
			 Total 144,858.28 90,790.05 119,603 183,677.01 
			 n/a = not applicable 
		
	
	In addition, ACGS occupies Substitute Single Service Accommodation rented from a private landlord at a cost to the MOD of £1,434.38 per month.
	All service personnel living in accommodation personally pay charges appropriate to the size and condition of the property they occupy, deducted at source from their salaries.
	The houses occupied by the Adjutant General and CinC Land are rented properties. The house occupied by CGS is leased from the Crown Estate. The MOD has not therefore assessed the market value of these properties.
	The house occupied by GOC NI is owned by the MOD and is located within a barracks behind the wire. The current asset register value for the house is £66,306 but this does not represent the market value. No assessment of market value has been carried out.

Army: Manpower

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many members of the armed forces are assigned to the household of the  (a) Adjutant General and  (b) Chief of the General Staff;
	(2)  how many members of the armed forces are assigned to the households of members of the Army Board.

Derek Twigg: The Army Board consists of the Secretary of State for Defence, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the Chief of the General Staff, the Second Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Commander in Chief Land Command, Adjutant General, Assistant Chief of the General Staff, the Director General of Land Equipment, Master General of the Ordnance and General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland).
	Of the 12 members of the Army Board, four have members of the armed forces assigned to their households; the Chief of the General Staff has two, Commander in Chief Land has two, the Adjutant General has one, and the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland has two.
	These figures do not include drivers or any other position related staff.

Army: Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) general service soldiers,  (b) full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service,  (c) part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service,  (d) full-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment and  (e) part-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment are automatically entitled to be members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 March 2007
	General Service soldiers and full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service are automatically entitled to be members of one of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes. Full-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment had an automatic entitlement to be members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 (AFPS 75). Part-time members of the Royal Irish Home Service are not entitled to be members of one of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes. Similarly, part-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment were not entitled to be members of the AFPS 75 Scheme.
	The policy in relation to the non-pensionable status of part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment is currently being challenged through an Industrial Tribunal.

Army: Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what benefits have been provided since 1977 by the Armed Forces Pension Scheme to  (a) general service soldiers,  (b) full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service,  (c) part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service,  (d) full-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment and  (e) part-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment and the (i) widows, (ii) widowers and (iii) children of such soldiers.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The Army Pensions Warrant 1977 contains details of all the pension benefits provided under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 (AFPS 75). SI 438/2005 and SI 717/2006 (Amendment) contain details of all the pension benefits provided under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (AFPS 05). These have already been placed in the Library. However, part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service, part-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment and their dependants are not entitled to pensions under the armed forces pension schemes.
	The policy in relation to the non-pensionable status of part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment is being challenged through an industrial tribunal.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many copies of the 2005 edition of the Defence Export Services Organisation staff directory were distributed to individuals outside his Department; and what categories of people were given copies of the directory.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The information requested forms part of a witness statement submitted by the Ministry of Defence to the Information Tribunal, which will next month hear a case under the Freedom of Information Act concerning the staff directory of the Defence Export Services Organisation. I will write to the hon. Member after the tribunal has delivered its decision and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many complaints were received by his Department and its executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have been received in 2006-07 to date;
	(2)  how many staff worked in dedicated complaints units in his Department and its executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have done so in 2006-07 to date.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not keep a central record of complaints, and to gather this data would involve disproportionate cost.
	Complaints are generally dealt with by subject-matter experts alongside other correspondence on the same subject. There are, however, two teams whose main role is dealing with complaints. One handles internal reviews of responses to FOI requests, and subsequent appeals to the Information Commissioner and the Information Tribunal. Before the FOI Act came fully into force in January 2005, similar work was carried out under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The second team deals with complaints about service flying in the lower airspace. The strengths of these teams are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Strength in full-time equivalent staff of complaints teams 
			  Team  1997-98  2001-02  2005-06  2006-07 
			 FOI appeals team 0 1 3 3.5 
			 Low flying complaints unit 5 5 4 4

Departments: Hilsea

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis his Department has asked for a compliant bid from potential developers for the redundant Ministry of Defence site at Matapan Road, Hilsea; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Formal Tenders are an appropriate method of selling surplus public sector assets because they create a level playing field for all prospective purchasers. They provide transparency and certainty of bids and so avoid the potential difficulties sometimes associated with informal negotiations. In this case the site had the benefit of outline planning permission and agreed SI 06 contributions and thus was suitable for sale by formal tender. It was advertised through Defence Estates' marketing Agents, Drivers Jonas.
	The bidding guidelines and legal conditions of sale made it clear that, in order to be compliant, all bids were to be submitted on the appropriate 'Form of Offer' with a 10 per cent. deposit and on an unconditional basis only. Moreover, the conditions of sale stated that the Ministry of Defence reserved the right to disregard any tender which was not submitted in accordance with the conditions of sale including any marked subject to contract.

Ex-servicemen

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a veterans' card will be available; what the attributes of the proposed veterans' card are; why there has been a delay in producing a veterans' card; and what companies and organisations he has met to discuss the production of the card.

Derek Twigg: The Department has received recent approaches from two companies—EDS and Forces Online—proposing the introduction of a veterans' card. I have met with EDS and officials have met with both companies to explore the possible benefits. We have separately consulted with ex-service organisations to seek their views on the merits of such a card; their clear conclusion was that there was no significant tangible benefit to be had from a card and that the idea was not therefore worth pursuing. In the light of these discussions, we have no current plans to introduce a veterans' card but will keep the matter under review.

Ex-servicemen

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department provides to ensure that skills and qualifications obtained by personnel during their period in the armed forces can be utilised and applied in civilian life; and if he will take steps to improve the assistance available to ex-service personnel in this regard.

Derek Twigg: The provision of opportunities for service personnel to gain nationally recognised civilian qualifications is an important component of the MOD's Personnel Strategy and is detailed in the "Defence Policy for the Accreditation of Education, Training and Experience", which aims to have military training, education and experience, where appropriate, accredited against nationally recognised qualifications. Furthermore, the priorities set in this policy are aligned with those in the Government's National Skills Strategy, focusing particularly on qualifications in literacy and numeracy and in wider employability skills, such as NVQs and Apprenticeships, but also seeking accreditation leading to higher education qualifications, including Foundation Degrees.
	Although the attainment of the operational requirement remains the primary goal of military training, accreditation to civilian qualifications has an obvious benefit to recruiting, retention and resettlement. The success of this policy is such that, in the last financial year, personnel in the armed services gained:
	in excess of 11,000 NVQs or other Level 2 qualifications;
	over 8,000 apprenticeships at either Levels 2 or 3;
	and 500 completed Foundation Degrees.
	In addition, staff are constantly seeking further opportunities with Awarding Bodies to extend the linkage of military training, education and experience to appropriate civilian qualifications.
	However, it is more difficult for Awarding Bodies to validate, in terms of quality assurance and syllabus content, military training and education that was undertaken by serving and ex-serving personnel a number of years ago and thus provide retrospective accreditation opportunities. For those who have left the services with no or very low level qualifications, there are opportunities with local colleges and training providers to gain civilian qualifications funded through schemes such as the Learning and Skills Council's "Train to Gain".
	Financial assistance is also provided to support service personnel in gaining nationally-recognised qualifications for their own personal development through the Armed Forces Learning Credits Schemes. Firstly, under the Standard Learning Credit Scheme, service personnel are eligible to claim from public funds 80 per cent. of course fees, up to a maximum of £175 per financial year. Secondly, the Enhanced Learning Credit (ELC) Scheme (introduced in 2004) provides larger scale support to pay for higher level academic and vocational learning at Level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework. The claim limit is also 80 per cent. of the annual fee (the claimant making a minimum 20 per cent. personal contribution to demonstrate their commitment). Individuals can draw down a maximum of £1,000 per annum on three occasions after serving four years from registration, and this rises to £2,000 per annum having served eight years after registration. Since the introduction of the ELC Scheme, over 225,000 personnel have registered with 16,500 claims made. While the majority of those registered have not yet made a claim, many of the claims are made in the last two years of service and are used alongside individuals' resettlement provision. Moreover, claims under the ELC Scheme can be made up to 10 years after leaving the armed forces.

Living Accommodation

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the procedures are for assessing the cleanliness and habitability of armed forces personnel housing before a new tenant moves in; and how many complaints were lodged upon moving in about unclean or ill-equipped housing in each year since 2004.

Derek Twigg: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's question. For Great Britain the procedures for assessing the cleanliness and habitability of Service families accommodation (SFA) are laid down in the MOD's Housing Management Manual. A number of separate checks for levels of cleanliness and inspections on equipment are carried out prior to a Service family moving into SFA. The standards are set out in the contracts with the service providers for SFA and incorporated in the Guide to Living in Service Family Accommodation.
	In England and Wales, there are more than 20,000 move-ins each year. Prior to the rolling-out of the Housing Prime Contract (HPC) in 2006, there were no separate complaints recorded for the level of cleanliness. Under the HPC, in 2006 there were 573 separately recorded complaints about cleanliness. This level of complaints was due to the early problems experienced with the HPC. There is no separate recording process for ill-equipped housing.
	In Scotland, houses are maintained through a regional prime contract. There are some 1,500 move-ins each year in Scotland and the number of overall complaints in Scotland were three in 2004, four in 2005 and two in 2006.

Warships

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what names have been selected by the Ships' Badges and Names Committee for the future  (a) seventh and eighth Type 45 destroyers and  (b) the fourth Astute class submarine.

Adam Ingram: No names have been selected by the Ships' Names and Badges Committee for the seventh and eighth Type 45 Destroyers. The name for the fourth Astute class submarine has been approved by Her Majesty the Queen and an official announcement will be made once the order has been placed.

Smoking

Frank Doran: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Commission has decided where smoking will be permitted on the House of Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate after 1 July 2007.

Nick Harvey: The Health Act 2006 introduces a ban on smoking in workplaces and enclosed or substantially enclosed public places from 1 July 2007. While the Act does not formally apply on the parliamentary estate, the Commission, on the advice of the Administration Committee, has decided that the House should comply with the principles of the legislation, as it is not desirable that those who work on or visit the parliamentary estate should be treated differently in this respect than in other workplaces and public places. The Commission recognises, however, that many who work on the estate are unavoidably present for long periods, particularly when the House is sitting. It is therefore desirable to make reasonable provision for those who wish to smoke to do so, provided that the health and safety of other users of the estate is not adversely affected.
	With these principles in mind, the Commission has decided that smoking should cease to be permitted from 1 July 2007 in all internal areas of the House of Commons estate, including in bars and private offices. From that date smoking will, however, be permitted in four designated external areas: the Terrace, Commons Court (North West corner), North Terrace (between Portcullis House and Norman Shaw South), and in a designated area on the west side of Canon Row courtyard. Cigarette receptacles will be provided in these areas. "No Smoking" signs will be displayed at entrances to the buildings. I understand that the House of Lords Administration and Works Committee will report its recommendations shortly on the smoking policy for the Lords part of the parliamentary estate.

Agricultural Wages Board

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is the Government's policy to retain the Agricultural Wages Board.

Barry Gardiner: Retention of the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) is a Labour Party manifesto commitment. This was re-affirmed by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) at the Labour Party Conference in September 2005. We considered the future operation of the AWB before Christmas and agreed that no changes should be made at the present time.

Departments: Orders and Regulations

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the  (a) one-off and  (b) recurring cost of implementing the Electricity and Gas (Energy Efficiency Obligations) Order 2004 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Ian Pearson: The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the Electricity and Gas (Energy Efficiency Obligations) Order 2004, estimated that the cost to energy suppliers of meeting their energy efficiency obligations for 2005-08 would be around £1,200 million. If passed on in full to their domestic customers, this would be no more than about £9 per fuel bill per customer per year. We do not anticipate any recurring costs for energy suppliers (other than complying with subsequent obligations). On average costs will be more than outweighed by the benefits to householders in terms of reduced fuel bills or increased comfort from the installation of energy efficiency measures. The RIA estimated that overall lifetime-discounted savings would amount to a net present value of around £1,000 million by 2010, £3,400 million by 2020 and £5,400 million over the lifetime of the measures. Ofgem has estimated that its direct costs of administration for the three-year programme will be around £1.2 million.
	DEFRA is committed to regulating better and has a target of a 25 per cent. reduction in administrative burdens. The implementation of a more risk based approach to regulation, in conjunction with tougher penalties combined with improved effectiveness via focus on outcomes, and simplification where possible, is fully consistent with this.

East Coast Railway Line

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what priority has been given to the redevelopment of existing station facilities in the advice given to bidders for the East Coast Mainline franchise.

Tom Harris: Bidders for the Intercity East Coast franchise have been advised of the need to enhance station facilities. These include improving facilities for cyclists, additional car parking spaces and improvements to the accessibility for passengers to and from stations. An important dimension is the need for security at stations for passengers and staff through the retention of the present secure station accreditation at all stations where the franchisee is the station facility owner (SFO).
	The plan for improving station facilities is given equal weighting to other plans required from the bidding parties.

Lighthouses: Ireland

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the basis is in international law for the UK's contribution to the Irish Lights Fund.

Stephen Ladyman: Regulation 13 of Chapter V of the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea places a general responsibility on contracting Governments for the adequate provision of aids to navigation in and around each of their respective coastal areas. Under Part VIII of the Merchant Shipping Act, responsibility for the provision of marine aids to navigation has been given to the general lighthouse authorities (GLAs). These are Trinity House Lighthouse Service, the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, which provides aids to navigation around the coast of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
	Under the Merchant Shipping Act, the expenses incurred by all three GLAs are paid out of the general lighthouse fund (GLF), into which are paid light dues collected in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The GLF is administered by the Secretary of State. Under an agreement signed in 1985, the Irish Government agreed to contribute to the provision of aids to navigation in the Republic. There is no contribution from the UK Government to the GLF nor is there a separate Irish lights fund.

Official Cars

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chorley of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 381W, on official cars, how many Cabinet Ministers have chosen the  (a) Jaguar and  (b) Prius.

Stephen Ladyman: Ministerial official cars are provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency. Currently, six Cabinet Ministers use the diesel powered Jaguar XJ and five use the Toyota Prius.

Ports: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the date was of each safety inspection carried out on a ship or an aircraft using a port or airport in Northern Ireland in the last three years for which figures are available; what the country of registration of the vessel or aircraft involved was in each case; and what the outcome was of the inspection in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Ports: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the countries of registration were of ships and aircraft using Northern Ireland's ports and airports in the last three years for which information is available.

Stephen Ladyman: The following list shows the various countries of registration of ships which used Northern Ireland's ports for the last 18 months which is the only information available.
	Antigua and Barbuda
	Antilles, Netherlands
	Bahamas
	Barbados
	Belgium
	Belize
	Bermuda
	Bulgaria
	Cambodia
	Cayman Islands
	China
	Comoros
	Cook Islands
	Croatia
	Cyprus
	Denmark
	Dominica
	Dominican Republic
	Estonia
	Faroe Islands
	Finland
	France
	Georgia
	Germany
	Gibraltar
	Greece
	Grenada
	Hong Kong, China
	India
	Ireland
	Israel
	Italy
	Latvia
	Liberia
	Lithuania
	Luxembourg
	Malta
	Man Isle of
	Marshall Islands
	Myanmar
	Netherlands
	Norway
	Panama
	Philippines
	Poland
	Portugal
	Russian Federation
	Sierra Leone
	Singapore
	Slovakia
	Spain
	St. Vincent and Grenadines
	United Kingdom
	The Department for Transport does not maintain the requested information on aircraft that have operated to any UK airport. Such information would be found from the aircraft movement logs that are maintained by individual airports.

Railways: Bicycles

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of train services permit rail-users to take bicycles onboard trains.

Tom Harris: All train operating companies (TOCs) permit the carriage of bikes. The Stansted Express carries only folding bikes and bikes flat packed for air travel. All other TOCs carry bikes though most have restrictions either on the number of bikes that can be carried or only carry folding bikes on some peak services.
	This is in line with the Department's advice to TOCs that they carry bikes whenever possible in line with the cycling policy document first published by the former Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) in 2004 and since adopted by this Department.
	We have asked Cycling England, our advisory body on cycling to carry out a review of how we might further improve the integration of bike and rail journeys in England.

Railways: Disabled

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been allocated for the Railways for All Accessibility Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: £370 million has been allocated, up to 2015, to improve access at railway stations in Great Britain as part of the Railways for All Strategy.

Railways: Taunton

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the reliability of  (a) all train services from Taunton to Paddington and  (b) the 7.07am train service from Taunton to Paddington in the last 12 months.

Tom Harris: In the year to 3 March 2007, the public performance measure moving annual average (PPM MAA) for FGW train services as a whole was 83.3 per cent.(1) which is an increase of 0.6 per cent. on last year's performance. The Department for Transport does not keep separate records on the reliability of trains running from Taunton to Paddington.
	A meeting has been held with First Great Western (FGW) and Network Rail to assess performance and reliability. Joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and FGW to address performance trends and train reliability and these are monitored monthly.
	( 1 ) Source:
	Network Rail

Bank Notes: Greater London

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) £5,  (b) £10 and  (c) £20 notes are being stored in London by the Bank of England.

Edward Balls: The Bank of England's stocks of new notes stored in the UK on the 28 February 2007 are shown in the following table. For completeness, the figure for £50 notes is also included.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Denomination  Value  Number of notes 
			 £5 1,014.3 202.9 
			 £10 3,697.9 369.8 
			 £20 8,553.9 427.7 
			 £50 908.4 18.2 
		
	
	For security reasons the Bank does not disclose the locations of the notes in storage.

Birth Rate

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of  (a) the effect of fluctuations in birth rates on economic growth over the past 40 years and  (b) the likely effect of such fluctuations on growth over the next 40 years.

John Healey: The Government set out their assessment of the effect of demographic factors on economic growth over past cycles, and their projection for the medium term, at each Budget and pre-Budget report. The Government published long-term employment and GDP projections covering the period up to 2055 in the 2006 'Long-term public finance report'.
	The Government's forward projections take into account previous demographic trends, including fluctuations in birth rates. In addition, the Government's long-term projections take into account future birth rates as given by the Government Actuary's Department's latest set of principal population projections.

Child Tax Credit: ICT

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child tax credit claims are currently unpaid because of software problems.

Dawn Primarolo: In circumstances where HM Revenue and Customs is unable to automatically pay claimants their full entitlement it will arrange for manual payments to be made.

Construction Industry Scheme

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards were issued to migrant workers in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006;
	(2)  how many temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards were issued in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

John Healey: The number of temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards issued in recent years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of temporary CIS4 cards issued 
			 2004-05 74,000 
			 2005-06 77,000 
			 2006-07(1) 66,000 
			 (1) Data for 2006-07 are incomplete 
		
	
	The number of temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards issued to migrant workers is not available.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs of  (a) transferring 0845 codes for HM Revenue Customs and Services to a freephone 0800 service and  (b) using a system where the customer is informed of his or her place in the telephone queue system and the likely time their call will be answered; and if he will assess the merits of introducing such changes.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC keeps its policy and practice for handling telephone calls from customers through its centrally managed contact centre network under constant review. It remains HMRC current policy to operate customer facing helplines using an 0845 rather than a "freephone" 0800 prefix as the Department believes this strikes the right balance of cost between the customer and the public purse.
	HMRC is however also keeping a close watch on proposals being taken forward by Ofcom to introduce a new range of non-geographic "030" numbers.

Rural Development Programme

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what commitment his Department has made to funding for the Rural Development Programme.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials discuss a wide range of issues with their colleagues in other departments as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Welfare Tax Credits: Fraud

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether cases of forged tax credits resulting in prosecution  (a) are reported to local jobcentres and  (b) affect the payment of benefits to the individual concerned.

Dawn Primarolo: Criminal Investigation within HMRC is responsible for prosecuting offences connected with tax credits.  (a) Criminal Investigation does not as a matter of course report cases resulting in prosecution for offences connected with tax credits to local Jobcentres.  (b) It does however liaise with the Department of Works and Pensions if there are similar offences or benefits potentially affected.

Casino Advisory Panel

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice she gave to Professor Crowe and the Casino Advisory Panel on their decision not to allow hon. Members to speak at the evidence in public sessions in the areas bidding for a regional casino.

Tessa Jowell: The Government issued no guidance to the Panel on the involvement of Members of Parliament in its work. The panel operated entirely independently of the Government and it was important that the panel was free to decide for itself who it consulted during the course of its work.
	The examinations in public which the panel held into the shortlisted proposals for the regional casino were just one part of this consultation process, and the panel considered carefully all the information presented to it in developing its final recommendations. A number of hon. Members made written representations, or have otherwise associated themselves with proposals from their areas, these are reflected in Annex H (pp 147-159) of the panel's report. Copies of the panel's report are available in the House Libraries.
	The panel issued guidance on the process for the examinations in public in advance of the hearings, which included the panel's criteria for selecting participants. The panel sought to select a range of participants representing a broad range of viewpoints, to ensure the broadest possible range of arguments would be presented and discussed during the hearings.
	No hon. Members participated personally at any of the EiPs. However, the panel chair reported any representations that had been received from local hon. Members (whether for or against the proposal) at the start of each EiP. These representations were also reflected in the summaries of representations published on the panel's website
	www.culture.gov.uk/cap.

Departments: Standards

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include sustainability criteria in her Department's Public Service Agreement targets in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 19 March 2007
	DCMS is working with HM Treasury and other Government Departments to develop new PSA outcomes as part of the comprehensive spending review. Cross-governmental PSAs will be published as part of the CSR. I am aware of the importance of reflecting sustainability within the relevant priority areas.

Gaming Clubs: Licensing

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings took place between  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department and the Casino Advisory Panel immediately prior to the announcement of the short-list of casino licence candidates; and if she will publish the minutes of such meetings.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 12 March 2007
	No meetings took place between Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Casino Advisory Panel immediately prior to the panel's announcement of the short list of casino licence candidates.
	The panel made a written progress report to me, prior to the announcement of its short list. A copy of the report is available on the Panel's website at www.culture.gov.uk/cap and in the House Libraries.

Gaming Clubs: Licensing

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the potential for issues of competition to arise in cases of the siting of  (a) regional,  (b) large and  (c) small casinos in the same town or city as a casino licensed under the 1968 Act.

Tessa Jowell: A full competition assessment of the impact of the Gambling Act 2005 on the casino market was included in Annex A of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the Act published on 21 April 2005. Copies of the RIA are available in the House Library.

Olympic Games: Football

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will seek discussions with  (a) the FA,  (b) the Scottish FA,  (c) the Welsh FA and  (d) the Northern Irish FA on providing a British football team for the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: Any decision on whether a Great Britain team participates at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a matter for FIFA, the four Home Nations' Football Associations, and the organisers of the Olympic tournament.
	The Secretary of State has discussed the issue of a Great Britain football team for the Olympics with the Football Association of England on a number of occasions.
	The Government believe that a GB Olympic football team at a 2012 London Olympics could be very exciting for football fans and discussions between the various parties continue.
	The Government also believe this should not affect the rights of the four home nations to compete separately in international football tournaments—an important part of our footballing tradition.

Children's Centres

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of children's centres provide childcare places.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 15 March 2007
	Sure Start Children's Centres in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas in England must provide integrated early learning and daycare as part of their core services. Based on information supplied by local authorities, 1,111 (97 per cent.) of the 1,137 designated Sure Start Children's Centres are offering this provision either on the same site as other children's centre services or at a site close by. Children's centres outside the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas may choose whether to provide integrated early learning and daycare depending on levels of local need.

Children's Centres: Kent

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the criteria are for establishing children's centres in Kent;
	(2)  which wards in Kent  (a) have children's centres and  (b) he expects to have children's centres by 2010.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 19 March 2007
	We have issued planning guidance for all local authorities which sets out the criteria for the location of children's centres. We have asked them to ensure that these locations enable all children under five in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged areas of England to have access to integrated services by March 2008. These areas are defined by Super Output Areas as developed by the Office for National Statistics. The exact location within these areas is determined by local authorities in consultation with local partners. When appropriate plans have been made to serve the most disadvantaged areas with children's centre services, the local authority then has the flexibility to decide where to locate further centres according to the resources available.
	There are currently 18 designated Sure Start children's centres in Kent and a further 52 planned by March 2008. By 2010 every ward in Kent will be served by a children's centre as part of the Government's commitment to offer Sure Start integrated services to every community in England. A breakdown of the designated and agreed Kent children's centres by ward is as follows:
	
		
			  Name of children's centre  Name of ward 
			  (a) Current designated children's centres 
			 Ray Allen Stanhope; Washford; Park Farm North 
			 Willows Beaver; Victoria; Norman 
			 Oakfield Princes; Town 
			 Temple Hill Joyce Green; Littlebrook 
			 Aylesham Ayesham; Little Stour and Ashstone 
			 Buckland Buckland; Whitfield 
			 St. Radigunds St. Radigunds; River 
			 Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets, Castle 
			 Riverside Canterbury Westcourt (parts of); Riverside (parts of); Central (parts of) 
			 Riverside Northgate (parts of) 
			 The Meadow Park Wood; Shepway South 
			 Hawkinge North Down East; Elham and Stelling Minnis; North Down West (parts of) 
			 The Village Folkestone East; Folkestone Foord; Park ward (parts of) 
			 Hythe Folkestone Sandgate; Hythe West; Hythe Central; Hythe East 
			 Milton Court Milton Regis; Kemsley 
			 Seashells Sheerness East; Sheerness West 
			 Millsmead Dane Valley 
			 Newlands Sir Moses Montiefiore; Eastcliffe 
			   
			  (b) Children's centres agreed up to March 2008 
			 Sherwood Sherwood; St. James 
			 Cranbrook Bendenden and Crook; Frittenden and Sissinghurst; Hawkhurst and Sandhurst 
			 East Stour South Willesborough; Aylesford Green; Highfield; North Willesborough 
			 Phoenix Bybrook; Bockhanger; Stour; Little Burton Farm; Kennington 
			 Briary Greenhill and Eddington; Herne and Broomfield 
			 Hersden Marshside; Sturry North; Little Stour; Sturry South 
			 Joy Lane Seasalter; Harbour; Gorrell (parts of) 
			 Brent Newtown; Brent (parts of) 
			 Darenth Bean and Darenth; Sutton-at-hone and Hawley 
			 Swanscombe Swanscombe; Longfield, New Barn and Southfleet 
			 Knockhall Greenhithe; Stone (part of); Castle 
			 Eythorne Elvington Eythorne and Shepherdswell; Eastry; Lydden and Temple Ewell 
			 Aycliffe Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory; Town and Pier; Capel le Ferne 
			 Lawn and The Hive/Wallis Park Northfleet North 
			 Chantry Pelham (parts of) 
			 King Farm Whitehill; Westcourt (parts of); Woodlands (parts of); Singlewell 
			 Shears Green Coldharbour; Northfleet South 
			 Southborough High Street; East ward (parts of); North ward (parts of) 
			 Greenfields South; Shepway North 
			 White Oak/The Willows Swanley White Oak; Swanley St. Mary's; Hextable 
			 Edenbridge Edenbridge North and East; Cowden and Hever; Edenbridge South andWest 
			 FEYC Park ward (parts of); Harbour; Harvey Central; Harvey West 
			 Morehall Cheriton; Morehall 
			 Dymchurch Dymchurch and St. Mary's Bay; Romney Marsh; Lympne and Stanford; Tolesford; North Downs West (parts of) 
			 St. Nicholas/Lydd New Romney Town; New Romney Coastal; Lydd 
			 Murston Murston; St. Michael's; Roman 
			 Grove Park Grove (parts of); Borden; Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch 
			 Homewood Chalkwell; Grove (parts of); Woodstock 
			 St. Mary of Charity Abbey; Davington Priory; Watting (parts of) 
			 Bysing Wood Watling (part of); St Anne's; Teynham and Lynsted; East Downs 
			 East Sheppey/Leysdown and Warden Leysdown and Warden; Sheppey Central (parts of) 
			 Minster-in-Sheppey Minster Cliffs; Sheppey Central (parts of) 
			 Margate Westbroom; Margate Central; Salmestone 
			 Birchington Birchington South; Birchington North; Thanet Villages 
			 Newington Newington; Northwood 
			 Longmead Trench; Cage Green; Castle; Higham 
			 St. Stephens Medway; Vauxhall; Judd 
			 Snodland Snodland East; Snodland West; Larkfield North 
			 St. James the Great East Malling; Ditton; Aylesford 
			 Callis Grange Beacon Road; Kingsgate; Bradstow; St. Peter's

Day Care: Disabled

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding his Department makes available to assist parents with the cost of child care for children with physical disabilities.

Beverley Hughes: Parents with disabled children can receive support through the working tax credit (which includes elements relating to disability and severe disability), child tax credit, disability living allowance and carer's allowance. They can also apply for direct payments from their local authority, which are cash payments in lieu of social care services enabling those receiving them to arrange their own services.
	In addition, the Department for Education and Skills provides funding to local authorities through the General Sure Start Grant to increase the sustainability and diversity of their local child care market, in support of the new duty in the Childcare Act 2006 to secure sufficient child care provision. This funding can be used to provide support for child care places where affordability is an issue for parents, and can also be used to provide training, enable early education and child care settings to make adaptations to premises and equipment, provide additional staff, and support multi-agency working through the Early Support Programme.

Nursery Schools: Westminster

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) three and  (b) four-year-olds are attending (i) nursery schools and (ii) classes in Westminster; and how many were attending in 1997.

Beverley Hughes: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools: number (headcount) of pupils aged 3 and 4( 1 ) Position in January each year: 1997 and 2006( ) Westminster local authority area 
			   Maintained nursery schools  Maintained primary schools 
			   Pupils across all classes  Pupils in designated nursery classes  Pupils across all classes( 2) 
			  Aged 3(3) Aged 4(4) Aged 3(3) Aged 4(4) Aged 3(3) Aged 4(4) 
			 1997 128 64 599 498 599 1,031 
			 2006 187 48 794 342 796 1,306 
			 (1 )Excludes dually registered pupils. (2 )Includes pupils in designated nursery classes. (3 )Excludes rising fours. Includes pupils aged less than three. (4 )Excludes rising fives.  Source:  School Census

Pupils: Attendance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parents received custodial sentences for failing to make their children attend school in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 15 March 2007
	Home Office data, from the court proceedings database, shows the number of defendants sentenced to immediate custody for offences under section 444 of the Education Act 1996 is as follows: 20 in 2005; 22 in 2004; and, seven in 2003. Data for 2006 is not available at this time.

Schools: Admissions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether under the Schools admission code of practice local authorities can give precedence in the waiting list to pupils who have not been allocated a place at a ranked school over those who have been allocated a place at one of their ranked schools.

Jim Knight: Where a school maintains a waiting list, a child's position on that list can be determined only by how well he or she meets the school's published oversubscription criteria compared to others on the list. Any other information, such as other parental preferences, may not be taken in to account. The new school admissions code also states that a child cannot be given priority on a waiting list based on the date that his or her application was received or his or her name was added to the list.
	The only children who may be given precedence over those on a waiting list are those who are the subject of a direction by the local authority to admit or those admitted in accordance with an in-year fair access protocol.

Volunteering: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the steps being taken to meet the recommendations of the Russell Commission on Youth Volunteering.

Edward Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
	Considerable progress has been made over the past year since the launch of the Russell Commission Implementation Body, v. v has created over 80,000 volunteering opportunities has attracted pledges of over £20 million of match funding for the private sector in addition to the up to £100 million available from Government.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued by courts in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) Hemel Hempstead constituency in each quarter since the penalty was introduced; and what percentage of these were issued where the claimant was aged (i) 10 to 14 years, (ii) 15 to 19 years, (iii) 20 to 24 years, (iv) 25 to 29 years and (v) 30 years and over.

Tony McNulty: Available information for Hertfordshire Criminal Justice System area is in the table, but ASBO data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	
		
			  The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts in the Hertfordshire criminal justice system area, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by age group and by quarter, 1 June 2000( 1)  to 31 December 2005 (latest available) 
			Age 
			  Period   10-14  15-19  20-24  25-29  30 and over  Not known  Total 
			 October to December 2000 Number — 1 — — — — 1 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 January to March 2001 Number — 2 2 — — — 4 
			  Percentage — 50 50 — — — 100 
			 April to June 2001 Number — 1 — — — — 1 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 July to September 2001 Number — 2 — — — — 2 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 October to December 2001 Number 2 — — — — — 2 
			  Percentage 100 — — — — — 100 
			 January to March 2002 Number — 1 — — — — 1 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 April to June 2002 Number — 1 — — — — 1 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 July to September 2002 Number 1 1 — — — — 2 
			  Percentage 50 50 — — — — 100 
			 October to December 2002 Number — 2 — — — — 2 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 January to March 2003 Number — 5 — — 2 — 7 
			  Percentage — 71 — — 29 — 100 
			 April to June 2003 Number — — 1 — — — 1 
			  Percentage — — 100 — — — 100 
			 July to September 2003 Number — 1 — — — — 1 
			  Percentage — 100 — — — — 100 
			 October to December 2003 Number — 7 1 — — — 8 
			  Percentage — 88 12 — — — 100 
			 January to March 2004 Number 2 7 1 1 2 — 13 
			  Percentage 15 54 8 8 15 — 100 
			 April to June 2004 Number — 8 1 1 1 — 11 
			  Percentage — 73 9 9 9 — 100 
			 July to September 2004 Number 1 3 2 2 4 — 12 
			  Percentage 8 25 17 17 33 — 100 
			 October to December 2004 Number — 2 — 1 1 — 4 
			  Percentage — 50 — 25 25 — 100 
			 January to March 2005 Number 2 5 6 1 4 3 21 
			  Percentage 10 24 29 5 19 14 100 
			 April to June 2005 Number 1 3 6 — 7 — 17 
			  Percentage 6 18 35 — 41 — 100 
			 July to September 2005 Number 2 12 2 1 2 1 20 
			  Percentage 10 60 10 5 10 5 100 
			 October to December 2005 Number — 5 — 1 6 2 14 
			  Percentage — 36 — 7 43 14 100 
			 Total  11 69 22 8 29 6 145 
			 Percentage  8 48 15 6 20 4 100 
			 (1) From commencement 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area (pfa). During this period one ASBO was issued in the Hertfordshire pfa.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Drugs: Smuggling

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quantities of  (a) heroin,  (b) cocaine,  (c) ecstasy and  (d) cannabis were seized as a result of HM Revenue and Customs operations in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	Quantities of drugs seizures made by HM Revenue and Customs are published in the Annual Report of HM Revenue and Customs. The last three years seizures by weight, as published in those reports, are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  kilograms 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Heroin 1,626 1,613 1,057 
			 Cocaine 20,727 8,606 5,798 
			 Ecstasy 1,245 740 468 
			 Cannabis 57,617 57,504 41,611

Identity Cards

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) personal data and  (b) biometric data he plans identity cards will hold.

Joan Ryan: It is intended that the identity card for British citizens will be valid as a travel document within the European economic area. As a result, like the passport, it will be need to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements regarding information to be recorded on travel documents.
	Hence, the biographical information to be recorded on the identity card will closely match that currently recorded on the personal details page of the passport.
	With regard to biometric information, it is intended that the biometrics to be recorded on the identity card will be a subset of those to be recorded on the National Identity Register and will be in line with international requirements. This biometric information would be recorded securely on the card's chip and protected by encryption.

Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to bring forward legislation to make identity cards compulsory.

Joan Ryan: We will start issuing biometric immigration documents from 2008 and identity cards to British citizens from 2009. It is the Government's policy that ID cards should eventually be compulsory for everyone resident in the United Kingdom who is aged 16 or over.
	Under the Identity Cards Act 2006 registration on the National Identity Register and the issued ID cards will be linked to applications for British passports and biometric immigration documents for foreign nationals, subject to approval by Parliament of a designation order under section four of the Identity Cards Act. As a result ID cards will be issued to a large proportion of the resident population as they apply for or renew one of these documents. Passport applicants may opt out of obtaining an ID card before one January 2010.
	The UK Borders Bill currently before Parliament provides powers to require specified categories of foreign nationals to apply for a biometric immigration document. At some time in the future, further primary legislation will be introduced to provide the powers to require the remainder of the population to obtain an ID card and so to make ID cards compulsory.

National Identity Register: Personal Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which data fields he plans to be held on each individual entered in the National Identity Register;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total number of data fields to be held on each individual entered in the National Identity Register;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of individual data entries to be held on the National Identity Register in each of the first five years of operation.

Joan Ryan: The information that can be held on the National Identity Register is strictly limited in the Identity Cards Act 2006 and is outlined under Section 3 and Schedule 1 of that Act.
	Details of the IT architecture which will support the recording of that information on the register will be dependent on the design that is agreed with any future suppliers and other parties involved in developing the technical systems that host it.
	Thus, until procurement processes are completed and further work is conducted, the number of data fields recording National Identity Register information will not be finalised.

Police: Cadets

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding his Department has provided to police authorities in respect of police cadets in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Government funding for police authorities is chiefly allocated using a funding formula that provides an assessment of the relative need of each police force in England and Wales.
	Funding for police cadets is not separately identified. Decisions on the distribution of resources are matters for the Chief Officer and the police authority.

Police: Discrimination

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of  (a) racism,  (b) gender discrimination and  (c) discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation were made by (i) police officers, (ii) police community support officers and (iii) special constables against the police in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not hold a central record of the number of complaints of racism, gender discrimination and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation made by police officers, police community support officers and special constables against the police. These are matters for the grievance procedure of each force.

Police: Sirens

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance is given to police car drivers on the use of their sirens at night-time; and whether the guidance  (a) is kept under review and  (b) has been amended in the past two years;
	(2)  what monitoring is undertaken of the adherence of police car drivers to guidance on the use of their sirens at night-time.

Tony McNulty: Regulation 37 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 restricts the fitting of sirens and other devices to specific emergency vehicles. Regulation 99 allows use of a siren only to indicate to other road users the urgency of the purposes for which a vehicle is being used, or to warn other road users of the presence of the vehicle on the road.
	Subject to compliance with Construction and Use Regulations, the use of sirens is according to police discretion. It is for individual chief officers to decide on whether to issue local guidance and on monitoring of adherence to such guidance.

Prison Service: Manpower

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers were employed  (a) in total and  (b) full-time (i) as at 31 March in each year since 1997 and (ii) on 31 January 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of officer grade staff employed within the public sector Prison Service and the contracted estate each year since 1997 is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of officer grade staff employed within the public sector Prison Service and the contracted estate each year since 1997 
			  Date  Total  Full-time equivalent 
			 31 March 1997 23,058 — 
			 31 March 1998 23,602 — 
			 31 March 1999 24,113 — 
			 31 March 2000 24,346 24,272 
			 31 March 2001 24,023 23,913 
			 31 March 2002 23,681 23,505 
			 31 March 2003 24,527 24,272 
			 31 March 2004 25,461 25,168 
			 31 March 2005 26,246 25,870 
			 31 March 2006 26,747 26,333 
			 31 January 2007 26,941 26,475 
			  Notes: 1. Figures include both publicly and privately managed establishments. 2. Full-time equivalent figures are not available prior to 2000. 3. Figures relate to prison officers, senior officers and principal officers within the public sector Prison Service and prison custody officers within contacted prisons. 4. Officers employed within public sector Prison Service headquarters are included. 5. Private contractors have not been able to supply information for; Ashfield and Doncaster prior to 2002, Dovegate in 2004, 2002 and 2001, Forest Bank, Altcourse, Rye Hill and Wolds prior to 2004 and Lowdham Grange in 2005, 2004 and prior to 2002.

Prisoners

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in the prison population was in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The numbers of prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales in each year since 1997 with the percentage annual increase can be seen in the table.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	
		
			  Prison population in England and Wales 1997-2005, with percentage annual (as at 30 June each year) 
			   Total prison population  Percentage increase since previous year 
			 1997 61,467 — 
			 1998 65,727 6.90 
			 1999 64,529 -1.80 
			 2000 65,194 1.00 
			 2001 66,403 1.90 
			 2002 71,218 7.30 
			 2003 73,657 3.40 
			 2004 74,488 1.10 
			 2005 76,190 2.30 
			 2006 77,982 2.40 
			  Source: Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, table 8.1 at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806section8.xls

Theft: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were cautioned for shoplifting in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The number of offenders cautioned for stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting) in the Lancashire police force area from 2001 to 2005 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned for stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting) in the Lancashire police force area, 2001 to 2005( 1,2) 
			  Statute  Offence  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Theft Act 1968 Sec 1. Stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting) 1,143 886 975 1,152 801 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Young Offenders: Community Service Orders

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community rehabilitation orders were  (a) issued to and  (b) breached by young offenders aged 18 years or under in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For sentencing purposes juveniles are defined as being aged 17 and under. Eighteen-year-olds are treated as adults. This response therefore is confined to young offenders aged 10-17 in the interest of clarity.
	Statistics on sentencing of young offenders (persons aged 10-17) are published in "Sentencing Statistics 2005" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin No. 03/07), a copy of which is in the Library.
	Table 3.7 on page 70 includes numbers of community rehabilitation orders made.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	The bulletin referred to is also available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0307.pdf
	Quality checks have shown that breach data are unsuitable for publication. Statistics on breaches can therefore only be published when significant improvements have been made to the submissions of these data to the Home Office.
	
		
			  Table 3.7: Persons sentenced to community sentences by age group, sex and type of sentence, 1995-2005—England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			   Community sentences 
			   Community rehabilitation order( 1)  Supervision order  Community punishment order( 1)  Attendance centre order  Community punishment and rehabilitation order( 1)  Curfew order  Reparation order 
			  Males
			  Aged 10-17
			 1995 1,900 8,929 3,261 6,212 905 * * 
			 1996 2,181 9,536 3,503 6,162 1,254 13 * 
			 1997 2,331 9,669 3,762 6,313 1,510 34 * 
			 1998 2,621 10,573 3,894 6,731 1,677 144 * 
			 1999 2,674 10,734 4,340 7,250 1,780 298 * 
			 2000 2,044 9,711 4,495 5,828 1,819 393 3,382 
			 2001 2,075 9,330 4,050 4,787 1,658 1,189 6,746 
			 2002 1,981 8,910 3,156 3,265 1,556 2,184 4,256 
			 2003 1,902 8,240 2,642 2,560 1,402 2,651 2,662 
			 2004 1,817 8,391 2,466 2,561 1,226 3,624 2,633 
			 2005 1,564 8,719 2,305 2,555 1,154 3,622 2,710 
			 
			  Aged 18-20
			 1995 8,142 * 8,779 808 3,045 * * 
			 1996 7,715 * 8,365 799 3,497 32 * 
			 1997 7,757 * 8,299 742 3,847 69 * 
			 1998 8,220 * 9,258 726 4,345 181 * 
			 1999 8,420 * 9,674 766 4,387 310 * 
			 2000 8,107 * 9,725 631 4,061 548 * 
			 2001 8,587 * 9,840 577 3,050 656 * 
			 2002 8,569 * 9,854 459 3,252 913 * 
			 2003 7,851 * 9,913 506 3,297 1,447 * 
			 2004 6,943 * 10,280 614 3,749 2,204 * 
			 2005 3,699 * 6,170 461 2,335 1,516 * 
			 
			  Aged 21 and over
			 1995 30,731 * 32,720 * 9,447 * * 
			 1996 31,470 * 30,346 * 11,064 108 * 
			 1997 33,452 * 30,864 * 12,274 287 * 
			 1998 35,514 * 30,856 * 13,072 524 * 
			 1999 35,044 * 30,535 * 12,466 786 * 
			 2000 34,120 * 30,297 * 11,420 1,384 * 
			 2001 36,263 * 30,162 * 8,491 1,622 * 
			 2002 40,259 * 32,069 * 9,179 2,557 * 
			 2003 41,501 * 32,238 * 9,113 4,387 * 
			 2004 40,554 * 34,831 * 9,665 7,431 * 
			 2005 22,009 * 21,651 * 6,333 5,283 * 
			 
			  All ages
			 1995 40,773 8,929 44,760 7,020 13,397 * * 
			 1996 41,366 9,536 42,214 6,961 15,815 153 * 
			 1997 43,540 9,669 42,925 7,055 17,631 390 * 
			 1998 46,355 10,573 44,008 7,457 19,094 849 * 
			 1999 46,138 10,734 44,549 8,016 18,633 1,394 * 
			 2000 44,271 9,711 44,517 6,459 17,300 2,325 3,382 
			 2001 46,925 9,330 44,052 5,364 13,199 3,467 6,746 
			 2002 50,809 8,910 45,079 3,724 13,987 5,654 4,256 
			 2003 51,254 8,240 44,793 3,066 13,812 8,485 2,662 
			 2004 49,314 8,391 47,577 3,175 14,640 13,259 2,633 
			 2005 27,272 8,719 30,126 3,016 9,822 10,421 2,710 
			 
			  Females
			  Aged 10-17
			 1995 255 1,214 167 447 48 * * 
			 1996 351 1,380 216 469 58 — * 
			 1997 395 1,580 257 549 127 3 * 
			 1998 463 1,861 255 573 138 11 * 
			 1999 506 1,945 330 623 121 22 * 
			 2000 397 1,845 335 552 162 47 602 
			 2001 411 1,753 263 418 130 105 1,229 
			 2002 344 1,592 175 286 107 169 748 
			 2003 329 1,630 128 197 107 289 449 
			 2004 304 1,728 120 220 90 426 454 
			 2005 272 1,881 140 252 80 519 507 
			 
			  Aged 18-20
			 1995 1,368 * 528 18 200 * * 
			 1996 1,505 * 553 31 254 1 * 
			 1997 1,695 * 639 36 308 3 * 
			 1998 1,956 * 697 35 406 15 * 
			 1999 2,075 * 824 40 402 36 * 
			 2000 2,089 * 843 30 374 52 * 
			 2001 1,962 * 853 42 239 63 * 
			 2002 1,969 * 823 21 264 88 * 
			 2003 1,597 * 867 20 241 143 * 
			 2004 1,528 * 1,007 37 258 222 * 
			 2005 798 * 662 37 187 163 * 
			 
			  Aged 21 and over
			 1995 7,002 * 2,882 * 914 * * 
			 1996 7,679 * 2,912 * 1,173 10 * 
			 1997 8,462 * 3,302 * 1,394 30 * 
			 1998 9,387 * 3,606 * 1,545 104 * 
			 1999 9,649 * 3,894 * 1,577 125 * 
			 2000 9,702 * 4,288 * 1,405 173 * 
			 2001 9,649 * 4,596 * 1,094 228 * 
			 2002 10,659 * 4,714 * 1,126 355 * 
			 2003 10,022 * 4,594 * 999 682 * 
			 2004 9,515 * 5,182 * 984 1,235 * 
			 2005 5,241 * 3,880 * 723 1,026 * 
			 
			  All ages
			 1995 8,625 1,214 3,577 465 1,162 * * 
			 1996 9,535 1,380 3,681 500 1,485 11 * 
			 1997 10,552 1,580 4,198 585 1,829 36 * 
			 1998 11,806 1,861 4,558 608 2,089 130 * 
			 1999 12,230 1,945 5,048 663 2,100 183 * 
			 2000 12,188 1,845 5,466 582 1,941 272 602 
			 2001 12,022 1,753 5,712 460 1,463 396 1,229 
			 2002 12,972 1,592 5,712 307 1,497 612 748 
			 2003 11,948 1,630 5,589 217 1,347 1,114 449 
			 2004 11,347 1,728 6,309 257 1,332 1,883 454 
			 2005 6,311 1,881 4,682 289 990 1,708 507 
			 
			  All persons
			  Aged 10-17
			 1995 2,155 10,143 3,428 6,659 953 * * 
			 1996 2,532 10,916 3,719 6,631 1,312 13 * 
			 1997 2,726 11,249 4,019 6,862 1,637 37 * 
			 1998 3,084 12,434 4,149 7,304 1,815 155 * 
			 1999 3,180 12,679 4,670 7,873 1,901 320 * 
			 2000 2,441 11,556 4,830 6,380 1,981 440 3,984 
			 2001 2,486 11,083 4,313 5,205 1,788 1,294 7,975 
			 2002 2,325 10,502 3,331 3,551 1,663 2,353 5,004 
			 2003 2,231 9,870 2,770 2,757 1,509 2,940 3,111 
			 2004 2,121 10,119 2,586 2,781 1,316 4,050 3,087 
			 2005 1,836 10,600 2,445 2,807 1,234 4,141 3,217 
			 
			  Aged 18-20
			 1995 9,510 * 9,307 826 3,245 * * 
			 1996 9,220 * 8,918 830 3,751 33 * 
			 1997 9,452 * 8,938 778 4,155 72 * 
			 1998 10,176 * 9,955 761 4,751 196 * 
			 1999 10,495 * 10,498 806 4,789 346 * 
			 2000 10,196 * 10,568 661 4,435 600 * 
			 2001 10,549 * 10,693 619 3,289 719 * 
			 2002 10,538 * 10,677 480 3,516 1,001 * 
			 2003 9,448 * 10,780 526 3,538 1,590 * 
			 2004 8,471 * 11,287 651 4,007 2,426 * 
			 2005 4,497 * 6,832 498 2,522 1,679 * 
			 
			  Aged 21 and over
			 1995 37,733 * 35,602 * 10,361 * * 
			 1996 39,149 * 33,258 * 12,237 118 * 
			 1997 41,914 * 34,166 * 13,668 317 * 
			 1998 44,901 * 34,462 * 14,617 628 * 
			 1999 44,693 * 34,429 * 14,043 911 * 
			 2000 43,822 * 34,585 * 12,825 1,557 * 
			 2001 45,912 * 34,758 * 9,585 1,850 * 
			 2002 50,918 * 36,783 * 10,305 2,912 * 
			 2003 51,523 * 36,832 * 10,112 5,069 * 
			 2004 50,069 * 40,013 * 10,649 8,666 * 
			 2005 27,250 * 25,531 * 7,056 6,309 * 
			 
			  All ages
			 1995 49,398 10,143 48,337 7,485 14,559 * * 
			 1996 50,901 10,916 45,895 7,461 17,300 164 * 
			 1997 54,092 11,249 47,123 7,640 19,460 426 * 
			 1998 58,161 12,434 48,566 8,065 21,183 979 * 
			 1999 58,368 12,679 49,597 8,679 20,733 1,577 * 
			 2000 56,459 11,556 49,983 7,041 19,241 2,597 3,984 
			 2001 58,947 11,083 49,764 5,824 14,662 3,863 7,975 
			 2002 63,781 10,502 50,791 4,031 15,484 6,266 5,004 
			 2003 63,202 9,870 50,382 3,283 15,159 9,599 3,111 
			 2004 60,661 10,119 53,886 3,432 15,972 15,142 3,087 
			 2005 33,583 10,600 34,808 3,305 10,812 12,129 3,217 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			   Community sentences  
			   Action plan order  Drug treatment and testing order  Referral order( 2)  Community order( 3)  Total community sentences  Total persons sentenced 
			  Males   
			  Aged 10-17   
			 1995 * * * * 21,207 60,606 
			 1996 * * * * 22,649 66,433 
			 1997 * * * * 23,619 69,647 
			 1998 * * * * 25,640 75,496 
			 1999 * * * * 27,076 79,262 
			 2000 3,678 3 * * 31,353 80,570 
			 2001 7,229 53 * * 37,117 84,087 
			 2002 5,243 61 16,065 * 46,677 83,186 
			 2003 3,703 55 21,158 * 46,975 80,838 
			 2004 3,753 43 22,469 * 48,983 83,413 
			 2005 3,989 32 24,355 * 51,005 82,465 
			
			  Aged 18-20   
			 1995 * * * * 20,774 131,349 
			 1996 * * * * 20,408 134,556 
			 1997 * * * * 20,714 139,129 
			 1998 * * * * 22,730 147,868 
			 1999 * * * * 23,557 147,003 
			 2000 * 29 * * 23,101 142,824 
			 2001 * 405 * * 23,115 139,919 
			 2002 * 396 * * 23,443 140,914 
			 2003 * 436 41 * 23,491 143,365 
			 2004 * 457 13 * 24,260 137,732 
			 2005 * 219 * 9,276 23,676 127,302 
			
			  Aged 21 and over   
			 1995 * * * * 72,898 933,034 
			 1996 * * * * 72,988 963,418 
			 1997 * * * * 76,877 947,616 
			 1998 * * * * 79,966 997,918 
			 1999 * * * * 78,831 951,514 
			 2000 * 238 * * 77,459 934,704 
			 2001 * 3,108 * * 79,646 877,019 
			 2002 * 3,898 * * 87,962 927,809 
			 2003 * 5,330 101 * 92,670 994,992 
			 2004 * 6,436 6 * 98,923 1,036,196 
			 2005 * 4,243 * 38,659 98,178 980,894 
			
			  All ages   
			 1995 * * * * 114,879 1,124,989 
			 1996 * * * * 116,045 1,164,407 
			 1997 * * * * 121,210 1,156,392 
			 1998 * * * * 128,336 1,221,282 
			 1999 * * * * 129,464 1,177,779 
			 2000 3,678 270 * * 131,913 1,158,098 
			 2001 7,229 3,566 * * 139,878 1,101,025 
			 2002 5,243 4,355 16,065 * 158,082 1,151,909 
			 2003 3,703 5,821 21,300 * 163,136 1,219,195 
			 2004 3,753 6,936 22,488 * 172,166 1,257,341 
			 2005 3,989 4,494 24,355 47,935 172,859 1,190,661 
			
			  Females   
			  Aged 10-17   
			 1995 * * * * 2,131 7,194 
			 1996 * * * * 2,474 8,164 
			 1997 * * * * 2,911 9,445 
			 1998 * * * * 3,301 10,798 
			 1999 * * * * 3,547 10,898 
			 2000 678 1 * * 4,619 10,910 
			 2001 1,421 12 * * 5,742 11,398 
			 2002 938 8 3,143 * 7,510 11,362 
			 2003 645 14 4,350 * 8,138 11,693 
			 2004 733 4 5,077 * 9,156 12,775 
			 2005 843 4 5,603 * 10,101 13,738 
			
			  Aged 18-20   
			 1995 * * * * 2,114 16,134 
			 1996 * * * * 2,344 17,742 
			 1997 * * * * 2,681 17,330 
			 1998 * * * * 3,109 19,254 
			 1999 * * * * 3,377 18,409 
			 2000 * 10 * * 3,398 19,266 
			 2001 * 94 * * 3,253 17,988 
			 2002 * 135 * * 3,300 18,470 
			 2003 * 117 4 * 2,989 18,702 
			 2004 * 161 * * 3,213 18,667 
			 2005 * 78 * 1,155 3,080 18,749 
			
			  Aged 21 and over   
			 1995 * * * * 10,798 194,625 
			 1996 * * * * 11,774 235,054 
			 1997 * * * * 13,188 190,211 
			 1998 * * * * 14,642 205,442 
			 1999 * * * * 15,245 190,700 
			 2000 * 40 * * 15,608 225,914 
			 2001 * 557 * * 16,124 208,111 
			 2002 * 774 * * 17,628 228,763 
			 2003 * 1,106 15 * 17,418 230,222 
			 2004 * 1,495 * * 18,411 248,043 
			 2005 * 965 * 6,372 18,207 250,127 
			
			  All ages   
			 1995 * * * * 15,043 217,953 
			 1996 * * * * 16,592 260,960 
			 1997 * * * * 18,780 216,986 
			 1998 * * * * 21,052 235,494 
			 1999 * * * * 22,169 220,007 
			 2000 678 51 * * 23,625 256,090 
			 2001 1,421 663 * * 25,119 237,497 
			 2002 938 917 3,143 * 28,438 258,595 
			 2003 645 1,237 4,369 * 28,545 260,617 
			 2004 733 1,660 5,077 * 30,780 279,485 
			 2005 843 1,047 5,603 7,527 31,388 282,614 
			
			  All persons   
			  Aged 10-17   
			 1995 * * * * 23,338 67,800 
			 1996 * * * * 25,123 74,597 
			 1997 * * * * 26,530 79,092 
			 1998 * * * * 28,941 86,294 
			 1999 * * * * 30,623 90,160 
			 2000 4,356 4 * * 35,972 91,480 
			 2001 8,650 65 * * 42,859 95,485 
			 2002 6,181 69 19,208 * 54,187 94,548 
			 2003 4,348 69 25,508 * 55,113 92,531 
			 2004 4,486 47 27,546 * 58,139 96,188 
			 2005 4,832 36 29,958 * 61,106 96,203 
			  Aged 18-20   
			 1995 * * * * 22,888 147,483 
			 1996 * * * * 22,752 152,298 
			 1997 * * * * 23,395 156,459 
			 1998 * * * * 25,839 167,122 
			 1999 * * * * 26,934 165,412 
			 2000 * 39 * * 26,499 162,090 
			 2001 * 499 * * 26,368 157,907 
			 2002 * 531 * * 26,743 159,384 
			 2003 * 553 45 * 26,480 162,067 
			 2004 * 618 13 * 27,473 156,399 
			 2005 * 297 * 10,431 26,756 146,051 
			
			  Aged 21 and over   
			 1995 * * * * 83,696 1,127,659 
			 1996 * * * * 84,762 1,198,472 
			 1997 * * * * 90,065 1,137,827 
			 1998 * * * * 94,608 1,203,360 
			 1999 * * * * 94,076 1,142,214 
			 2000 * 278 * * 93,067 1,160,618 
			 2001 * 3,665 * * 95,770 1,085,130 
			 2002 * 4,672 * * 105,590 1,156,572 
			 2003 * 6,436 116 * 110,088 1,225,214 
			 2004 * 7,931 6 * 117,334 1,284,239 
			 2005 * 5,208 * 45,031 116,385 1,231,021 
			
			  All ages   
			 1995 * * * * 129,922 1,342,942 
			 1996 * * * * 132,637 1,425,367 
			 1997 * * * * 139,990 1,373,378 
			 1998 * * * * 149,388 1,456,776 
			 1999 * * * * 151,633 1,397,786 
			 2000 4,356 321 * * 155,538 1,414,188 
			 2001 8,650 4,229 * * 164,997 1,338,522 
			 2002 6,181 5,272 19,208 * 186,520 1,410,504 
			 2003 4,348 7,058 25,669 * 191,681 1,479,812 
			 2004 4,486 8,596 27,565 * 202,946 1,536,826 
			 2005 4,832 5,541 29,958 55,462 204,247 1,473,275 
			 (1) Some community sentences were renamed in April 2001. Community rehabilitation order was previously probation order, community punishment order was previously community service order and community punishment and rehabilitation order was previously combination order. (2) Referral orders were introduced nationally on 1 April 2002. The figures include extensions of referral orders (retrospectively for 2002-04). (3) The community order was introduced on 4 April 2005 and applies to offences committed on or after that date.

Construction: Tolls

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the construction industry of the introduction of road user charging.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	No decisions have been taken on a national road pricing scheme. The Government are working with local authorities interested in establishing local pricing schemes to address local congestion problems, and the first of these is expected to be in place in four to five years. Any decision on a national road pricing scheme will only be taken on the evidence of these schemes.
	Given that no decisions have been taken on whether to introduce national road pricing and if so what form it might take, it is not possible to estimate the potential impact on the construction industry at this stage.

Telephone Services: Regulation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Services (ICSTIS) has  (a) issued formal reprimands to service providers,  (b) ordered service providers to submit future promotions and services to them for prior approval for a set period,  (c) ordered a service provider to pay reasonable and valid claims for compensation,  (d) imposed fines on service providers,  (e) barred service providers access to service and  (f) banned named individuals from operating services for set periods for breaching the ICSTIS Code of Practice.

Margaret Hodge: ICSTIS lists over 7,900 active service providers which it regulates. The latest figures available are for 2006. During that year, ICSTIS  (a) issued formal reprimands to 160 service providers,  (b) asked three service providers to submit future promotions and services to them for prior approval for a set period and these services are individually monitored for compliance,  (c) ordered 33 service providers to pay refunds to customers (the only compensation system open to ICSTIS),  (d) imposed 157 fines on service providers,  (e) barred access to service to 64 service providers and  (f) banned two named individuals from operating services for set periods for breaching the ICSTIS Code of Practice. In some cases, individual service providers could have faced more than one of the aforementioned sanctions.

Audience Community Safety Staff

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what rights of audience community safety staff have to appear in court.

Bridget Prentice: The phrase 'community safety staff' covers a wide range of people including those working within the local authority in their community and antisocial behaviour teams and those working within housing management organisations.
	Under section 60 of the County Courts Act 1984, a local authority officer has a right of audience in the county court in certain housing proceedings. Currently employees of housing management organisations who manage local authority housing stock do not have a right of audience. They rely on the court's discretion, under section 27 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, to be able to appear in court.
	As part of the Government's Respect agenda we are considering how to take forward plans to allow employees of housing management organisations similar rights to local authority officers in certain proceeding related to their housing management functions, including measures to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Landlord and Tenant: Fees and Charges

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance her Department has issued on the types of services incurring service charges on which freeholders will be obliged to consult residents and leaseholders following the implementation of the Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Communities and Local Government is responsible for the Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003. Guidance on the types of long term agreements which a landlord is obliged to consult upon under these regulations is available in the Departments' booklet, "Long Leaseholders—A Guide to Your Rights and Responsibilities". This briefly explains the service charges consultation process itself and includes examples of the types of agreements that would need to be consulted upon where they exceeded 12 months.
	The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), an Executive non-departmental public body sponsored by this Department, has also issued more detailed guidance on the consultation process and describes some types of long term agreements which a landlord is obliged to consult upon. LEASE can also give free advice on this and other service charge issues.

Landlord and Tenant: Fees and Charges

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she plans for freeholders to have an obligation to consult residents or leaseholders on service charges for the provision of  (a) a managing agent and  (b) the provision of buildings property insurance; and what anti-avoidance measures are in place to avoid the consultation requirements being sidestepped by the rolling renewal of agreements of less than one year.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Communities and Local Government is responsible for leasehold issues. Legislation provides that landlords are required to consult with leaseholders where an agreement of more than 12 months is to be entered into that will incur expenditure to be funded through leaseholder service charges. This includes agreements with managing agents or relating to building insurance. Parliament agreed during the passage of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 that agreements of 12 months or less should not automatically require consultation. However leaseholders with agreements of 12 months or less do have the right to challenge the reasonableness of service charges they may be asked to contribute towards.

Attendance Allowance: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex are in receipt of (i) attendance allowance and (ii) carer's allowance.

Anne McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance and carer's allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 20 March 2007:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex are in receipt of (i) attendance allowance and (ii) carer's allowance.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information requested is in the attached annexes.
	
		
			  Annex 1: Attendance allowance—all entitled cases at August 2006 
			  Thousand 
			   Total 
			 County of East Sussex 17,090 
			 Eastbourne local authority 3,590 
			 Eastbourne parliamentary constituency 3,910 
			  Notes: 1. Definitions and Conventions: Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Caseload totals show both the number of people in receipt of an allowance and those with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. Parliamentary constituencies are those used for the Westminster Parliament.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: 100 per cent. work and pensions longitudinal study. 
		
	
	
		
			  Annex 2: Carer's allowance by payment status at August 2006 
			  Thousand 
			Entitled/receiving payment 
			   Total  Entitlement only  Claimant receiving benefit  Entitled, payment status unknown 
			 County of East Sussex 5,960 2,760 3,200 — 
			 Eastbourne local authority 1,110 510 600 — 
			 Eastbourne parliamentary constituency 1,210 580 620 — 
			  Notes: 1. Definitions and Conventions: "—" Nil or Negligible; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Caseload totals show the number of people who are entitled to receive carer's allowance, including those who receive no actual payment. Carers entitled to receive carer's allowance may be paid the benefit, or not paid it because they receive an overlapping benefit equal to or greater than their weekly rate of carer's allowance. 'Claimant receiving benefit' cases cannot be distinguished from 'Entitled' cases prior to August 2003. Parliamentary constituencies are those used for the Westminster Parliament.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: 100 per cent. work and pensions longitudinal study.

Community Care Grants

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to process an application for a community care grant was in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what the average processing time for Community Care Grant applications was in the last year for which figures are available. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The time it takes to process Community Care Grant applications is measured by counting the average length of time taken to clear all claims processed within a set period (usually monthly). The measure is referred to as the Average Actual Clearance Time.
	The clearance time for an individual Community Care Grant application is measured in whole working days from the date the application is received to the date of the decision, inclusive.
	The expected service level for Community Care Grants is nine days.
	The information in the table covers the twelve months to January 2007.
	
		
			  National Monthly Community Care Grant Average Actual Clearance Times in Days 
			   Days 
			 February 2006 7.5 
			 March 2006 7.5 
			 April 2006 9.0 
			 May 2006 10.4 
			 June 2006 9.7 
			 July 2006 8.9 
			 August 2006 9.5 
			 September 2006 10.4 
			 October 2006 10.0 
			 November 2006 8.9 
			 December 2006 9.0 
			 January 2007 9.1 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus: Compensation

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many special payments have been made to customers of Jobcentre Plus in compensation for the poor performance of Jobcentre Plus in each of the last six months for which figures are available; and what the total amount of such special payments was.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 6 February 2007
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many special payments have been made to customers of Jobcentre Plus in compensation for the poor performance of Jobcentre Plus in each of the last six months for which figures are available; and what the total amount of such special payments was. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Jobcentre Plus special payments scheme is part of a wider scheme operated by the Department for Work and Pensions. Details are contained in the Financial Redress for Maladministration Guide, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	Information on the number of special payments made by Jobcentre Plus and the total amount of those payments in the last six months is in the table.
	
		
			  Special payments 
			  2006  Number of payments  Amount Paid (£) 
			 July 439 166,612.23 
			 August 530 161,749.63 
			 September 412 131,224.17 
			 October 350 133,764.22 
			 November 545 229,654.41 
			 December 339 136,258.45 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentres: Norfolk

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how far residents of  (a) Swaffham and  (b) Downham Market will have to travel to their nearest Jobcentre Plus branch if existing branches are closed; and what assessment he has made of the availability of public transport for those journeys.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how far residents of Swaffham and Downham Market will have to travel to their nearest Jobcentre Plus branch if existing branches are closed; and what assessment he has made of the availability of public transport for those journeys. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information about the availability of public transport and the distances to be travelled is included in the table:
	
		
			  Transport availability to other jobcentres from Downham Market and Swaffham 
			   Destination  Method  Distance (miles)  Frequency (minutes)  Journey time (minutes) 
			 Downham Market Kings Lynn Jobcentre Train 12 60 16 
			   Bus 12 30 40-50 
			   
			 Swaffham Dereham Jobcentre Bus 14 30 30 
			  Kings Lynn Jobcentre Bus 17 30 30 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentres: Norfolk

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the profile of customers visiting each of the Jobcentre Plus branches earmarked for closure in Norfolk;
	(2)  what services are offered at the  (a) Swaffham,  (b) Downham Market,  (c) Wymondham and  (d) Hunstanton Jobcentre Plus branches; and what average number of people used each branch on each day in the last six months.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what assessment he has made of the profile of customers visiting each of the Jobcentre Plus branches earmarked for closure in Norfolk and what services are offered at the Swaffham, Downham Market, Wymondham and Hunstanton Jobcentre Plus branches; and what was the average number of people using each branch on each day in the last six months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Jobcentres at Downham Market, Hunstanton, Swaffham and Wymondham deliver the full range of advisory interventions, with the exception of New Jobseeker Interviews at Downham Market, Hunstanton and Swaffham. The New Jobseeker Interviews are held at Dereham for Swaffham customers, and Kings Lynn for customers from Downham Market and Hunstanton.
	All locations carry out Fortnightly Jobsearch Reviews for customers in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance. In addition, all four Jobcentres currently provide Jobpoints that enable customers to search for advertised jobs. Jobsearch facilities are also available to all customers via the Internet and by Jobseeker Direct our telephone based Jobsearch service delivered through our network of contact centres.
	The average numbers of people who have attended the offices for Fortnightly Jobsearch Reviews and advisory interviews on a daily basis in the last six months are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Average daily number of fortnightly reviews and adviser interviews at Downham Market, Hunstanton, Swaffham and Wymondham Jobcentres 
			   Fortnightly reviews( 1)  Adviser interviews( 1) 
			 Downham Market 22 10 
			 Hunstanton 18 6 
			 Swaffham 20 7 
			 Wymondham 45 15 
			 (1) Per day. 
		
	
	The number of advisory interventions for Wymondham is considerably higher as New Jobseeker interviews are still carried out there.
	I hope this is helpful.

Pension Credit: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents in each electoral ward in Tamworth constituency receive pension credit.

James Purnell: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Pension credit recipients in Tamworth constituency—August 2006 
			  Ward names  Household recipients 
			 Bourne Vale 50 
			 Fazeley 275 
			 Little Aston 50 
			 Mease and Tame 125 
			 Shenstone 120 
			 Stonnall 45 
			 Amington 280 
			 Belgrave 265 
			 Bolehill 430 
			 Castle 525 
			 Glascote 315 
			 Mercian 425 
			 Spital 390 
			 Stonydelph 235 
			 Trinity 250 
			 Wilnecote 235 
			 Tamworth constituency 4,020 
			  Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to a multiple of five. Totals may not sum to area totals. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. Wards are based on 2003 ward boundaries.  Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received income support on grounds of incapacity in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of people receiving income support on the grounds of incapacity in Great Britain; each August 2004 to 2006. 
			 2004 1,215,130 
			 2005 1,198,040 
			 2006 1,196,690 
			  Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who receive incapacity benefit are also in receipt of  (a) income support,  (b) housing benefit and  (c) council tax benefit.

Anne McGuire: The most recent available information for each benefit is in the following tables.
	
		
			  The number of incapacity benefit claimants in Great Britain who are in receipt of income support: August 2006. 
			 Incapacity benefit with income support 1,025,750 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Incapacity benefit figures include credits only cases.  Source: DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Housing benefit and council tax benefit recipients also t also in receipt of incapacity benefit: Great Britain May 2003 
			 Housing benefit 396,000 
			 Council tax benefit 498,000 
			  Notes:  1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest thousand.  2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.  3. Housing Benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.  4. Council Tax Benefit figures exclude any second adult rebate cases.  Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent sample, taken in May 2003.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of severe disablement allowance in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of severe disablement allowance claimants in Great Britain; each August 2004 to 2006. 
			 2004 302,730 
			 2005 289,590 
			 2006 277,020 
			  Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who receive severe disablement allowance also receive  (a) income support,  (b) housing benefit and  (c) council tax benefit.

Anne McGuire: The most recent available information for each benefit is in the following tables:
	
		
			  The number of severe disablement allowance claimants in Great Britain who are in receipt of income support: August 2006. 
			 Severe disablement allowance with income support 170,950 
			  Notes:  1.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Housing benefit and council tax benefit recipients also in receipt of severe disablement allowance: Great Britain, May 2003 
			 Housing benefit 112,000 
			 Council tax benefit 97,000 
			  Notes:  1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest thousand.  2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.  3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.  4. Council tax benefit figures exclude any second adult rebate cases.  Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2003.

Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of lone parents were  (a) in employment and  (b) on out of work benefits in each quarter since 1992.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Lone parents in employment in Great Britain; spring quarters 1992 to 2006 
			  Quarter  Lone parent employment rate (percentage)  Number in employment 
			 Spring 1992 40.7 488,000 
			 Spring 1993 40.8 511,000 
			 Spring 1994 41.8 572,000 
			 Spring 1995 42.3 626,000 
			 Spring 1 996 44.1 688,000 
			 Spring 1997 45.3 696,000 
			 Spring 1998 46.6 764,000 
			 Spring 1999 48.4 806,000 
			 Spring 2000 51.2 832,000 
			 Spring 2001 51.5 859,000 
			 Spring 2002 53.3 923,000 
			 Spring 2003 53.1 923,000 
			 Spring 2004 54.3 972,000 
			 Spring 2005 56.6 1,014,000 
			 Spring 2006 56.6 1,008,000 
			  Source: Labour Force Survey Spring Quarters 1992-2006 
		
	
	
		
			  Lone parents on out-of-work benefits in Great Britain: each quarter, May 1995 to August 2006 
			   Number 
			  1995  
			 May 1,117,500 
			 August 1,131,100 
			 November 1,126,800 
			   
			  1996  
			 February 1,128,300 
			 May 1,130,400 
			 August 1,134,000 
			 November 1,112,000 
			   
			  1997  
			 February 1,114,900 
			 May 1,110,400 
			 August 1,110,100 
			 November 1,078,400 
			   
			  1998  
			 February 1,070,200 
			 May 1,061,100 
			 August 1,057,100 
			 November 1,039,800 
			   
			  1999  
			 February 1,045,400 
			 May 1,043,300 
			 August 1,050,700 
			 November 1,038,400 
			   
			  2000  
			 February 1,029,900 
			 May 1,022,500 
			 August 1,026,200 
			 November 1,007,700 
			   
			  2001  
			 February 1,010,300 
			 May 1,005,200 
			 August 1,011,100 
			 November 983,500 
			   
			  2002  
			 February 980,600 
			 May 979,000 
			 August 986,400 
			 November 967,500 
			   
			  2003  
			 February 965,400 
			 May 978,100 
			 August 993,400 
			 November 965,500 
			   
			  2004  
			 February 970,300 
			 May 963,600 
			 August 963,500 
			 November 945,800 
			   
			  2005  
			 February 949,000 
			 May 940,800 
			 August 944,600 
			 November 931,800 
			   
			  2006  
			 February 934,600 
			 May 934,500 
			 August 897,900 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. "Out-of-work benefits" includes income support, job seeker's allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance.  Source: 5 per cent. DWP administrative data

Adoption: Equality

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a faith-based adoption agency which is not in receipt of public funds would be eligible for the exemption under Regulation 14, paragraph 3, of the proposed Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007.

Meg Munn: holding answer 19 March 2007
	A faith based adoption agency that is not operating on behalf of and under contract with a public authority could qualify for the religious organisation exemption under Regulation 14, paragraph 3 of the proposed Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007—provided the agency is not being run on a commercial basis and can demonstrate that the exemption is necessary either to comply with the doctrine of the organisation, or to avoid conflicting with the strongly held religious beliefs of a significant number of the religion's followers.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to ensure that letting agencies receive the information necessary to implement the tenancy deposit scheme.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 14 March 2007
	Communities and Local Government have an information programme for landlords, letting agents and tenants. The campaign includes information packs for landlords, letting agents, tenants' advisers and the media, including "frequently asked questions"; organising roundtable and networking events with local and regional stakeholders; and accepting invitations from stakeholders to attend their forums. In addition an advertising campaign started on 26 February which will run to late May using national press, regional press, trade press, foreign traveller press, online and radio. Communities and Local Government posters and leaflets are available to order free from the direct.gov website at
	www.direct.gov.uk/tenancydeposit.

Iraq: Civil War

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of whether Iraq is in a state of civil war.

Kim Howells: We share concerns at the high levels of violence in Iraq. But the term civil war is not an accurate description: the Iraqi Government are still unitary and there is no rival Government. Key is to bring down the level of violence and to reach a sustainable political solution. The Government of Iraq are committed to this and their friends and allies are providing support to help them achieve it.

Ethiopia

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent release of kidnapped embassy officials in Ethiopia for the activities of consular staff.

Ian McCartney: The Government are delighted that the five staff and family members from our embassy in Addis Ababa abducted recently in Ethiopia have been released. The Government do, however, remain concerned for the welfare of the Ethiopians who were taken at the same time as the embassy group and hope they too will be released.
	To deal with this incident, the Government deployed additional staff to our embassies in Asmara and Addis Ababa, and to Djibouti. Along with staff already posted to these embassies, and with officials in London and elsewhere, they worked tirelessly and in a wholly coordinated way to help secure the release of the five.
	The Government are grateful for the exceptional cooperation and assistance received from Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia and President Isaias of Eritrea, and their Governments, as well as from others in the region.

Iran

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of Iran's compliance with Security Council resolutions; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Dr. Mohammad El Baradei, reported on 22 February that Iran has not complied with Security Council Resolution 1737, and therefore neither with 1696 which made the IAEA Board requirement of the suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities a mandatory requirement. The Security Council is, as envisaged in Resolution 1737, considering further measures under Article 41 of the UN Charter.

China: Abortion

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on forced abortions in China; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We are aware of reports of the mal-administration of China's One Child Policy involving enforced sterilisation and abortions, including those highlighted by the human rights lawyer, Chen Guangcheng. While we do not question China's right or need to implement family planning policies, we have made it clear to the Chinese Government that we believe they should be based on the principles of consent and not coercion.

EC Action: Terrorism

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) terms of reference and  (b) membership are of the European Union's clearing house in respect of the addition and deletion of groups included on the list of terrorist organisations; what opportunities there are for (i) the organisations themselves and (ii) other non-government bodies (A) to have a hearing and (B) to submit evidence; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Council of the EU decided in 2001 to draw up a list of terrorist groups and individuals in order to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001), which obliges all UN member states to "freeze without delay funds and other financial assets or economic resources of persons who commit, or attempt to commit, terrorist acts or participate in or facilitate the commission of terrorist acts". The EU autonomous terrorist asset freezing regime was established under Council Common Position 2001/931/Common Foreign and Security Policy of 27 December 2001.
	The Council keeps the EU list of terrorist groups and individuals under continual review. Decisions to add or remove individuals or groups are made by the Council of Ministers.
	The EU has reviewed and improved its procedures for listing individuals and groups, taking full account of the judgment by the Court of First Instance of the European Communities on 12 December 2006. All groups listed since 12 December have been notified of the reasons for their inclusion on the list, and an explanation as to how the group can exercise its right to provide further information relevant to the case and/or petition for delisting.
	In addition to petitioning the Council for delisting, groups and individuals may also challenge their listing before the Court of First Instance of the European Communities.
	Other non-government bodies can also provide relevant information and/or evidence to the Council of the EU, by contacting the Council Secretariat.

Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the human rights record of the government of Equatorial Guinea.

Ian McCartney: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes a close interest in the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, and raises concerns about human rights issues both bilaterally and through the regular EU dialogue with Equatorial Guinea.
	We continue to be extremely concerned about the lack of access to justice and lack of independence of the judiciary in Equatorial Guinea, following the trials of the alleged coup plotters in 2005. Arbitrary detention is common for political reasons, as well as criminal, and is sometimes imposed for apparently minor offences. Imprisonment without trial is also commonplace. Expatriates working on contracts in the country have been detained, not always in prison, in purely commercial disputes. Corruption and bribery is widespread throughout the judicial system. Nepotism is also rife, so resolving consular difficulties can be problematic and time consuming. Where trials do occur, they are often considered to be unfair. Amnesty international, which observed the coup trials in 2005, stated in its 2006 report that subsequent trials were also unfair, with defendants held incommunicado before the trial and reportedly convicted on the basis of confession statements extracted under torture.

Namibia: Zimbabwe

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Foreign Minister of Namibia on Zimbabwe.

Ian McCartney: Our High Commission in Windhoek regularly raises Zimbabwe with Namibian government Ministers and the Government of Namibia is well aware of our views. Zimbabwe was most recently discussed on 22 February when the Heads of EU Missions in Windhoek met the Namibian Deputy Foreign Minister.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the access given to North Korean nuclear facilities for International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed El Baradei.

Ian McCartney: Dr. El Baradei visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 13-14 March. He said during a press briefing on 5 March that the purpose of his visit would be twofold. Firstly, to consider normalisation of relations between the DPRK and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and secondly, to make arrangements for IAEA personnel to carry out inspections, as agreed at the latest round of Six Party Talks on 13 February.
	Further details on Dr. El Baradei's visit to the DPRK can be found on the IAEA website at:
	http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaDprk/index.shtml.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking in relation to recent reports of human rights abuses against Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, spoke at the fourth session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva this month about the need for the Sri Lankan Government to move forward with the effective investigation of human rights violations and to hold those perpetrating such acts to account. There should be no impunity for human rights violators.
	I also refer my right hon. Friend to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 13 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 246-247W.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Foreign Secretary of  (a) Libya,  (b) Egypt and  (c) Chad on the Darfur Region of Sudan.

Ian McCartney: The UK's Ambassador-at-Large for the Sudanese Peace Process, Christopher Prentice, met the Chadian Foreign Minister on 20 February. He also met senior representatives of the Government of Libya on 21 February.
	The UK's Permanent Representative-designate to the UN in New York, John Sawers, discussed Darfur with a range of senior interlocutors in Egypt on 4 to 5 March. And my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met the Egyptian Ambassador on 6 March.
	With all our interlocutors we emphasise the need for an immediate ceasefire in Darfur, an early resumption of the political process there, and the rapid implementation of the UN support package for the African Union Mission in Sudan, culminating in the formation of the hybrid force.

Timor-Leste: Homicide

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the President of Indonesia to request that Indonesia's former Information Minister, Yunus Yosfiah, give his account of events in Balibo in October 1975 to the Court following the request of the Deputy Coroner made during the inquest in New South Wales into the death of Brian Peters; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Australian government has not sought our help with the inquest. We have previously made representations on the Balibo case to the Indonesian government and they are aware of our position.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients have been screened under the bowel cancer screening programme, broken down by centre; how many people within the target 60 to 69 age group it is estimated have yet to be screened at each centre; and what the timetable is for completing the first screening within the target age group;
	(2)  what plans she has to publish an assessment of the bowel cancer screening programme;
	(3)  when each centre began screening for bowel cancer;
	(4)  if she will introduce a screening programme for bowel cancer for everyone over 50 years of age.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is in the table.
	As at 19 February 2007, 52 per cent. of men and women had returned their testing kits. This figure is likely to rise as kits are being sent out all the time and there is a time lag between people receiving and returning the kits.
	Local screening centres cover populations of around 500,000 people. Men and women in their 60s in these populations are invited to be screened on a general practitioner practice basis over a two year period. For each two year screening round we would expect each local screening centre to invite 50,000 people for screening. It is estimated that full-national roll-out of the programme in England will be achieved by December 2009. All eligible men and women will therefore have been invited for screening by December 2011.
	The national health service bowel cancer screening programme is in the relatively early stages of roll-out. We will consider publishing an assessment of the programme when roll-out is more complete.
	The bowel cancer screening programme is beginning by inviting men and women aged 60 to 69 to be screened as the risk of bowel cancer increases with age, with over 80 per cent. of bowel cancers arising in people who are 60 or over. The successful NHS pilot study also showed that men and women in their 60s were more likely to take up their invitations for screening than men and women in their 50s. Within the programme men and women aged 70 and over are able to self-refer for screening every two years.
	When we have rolled out the programme to the whole of England, we will make an assessment of whatever next steps may be required, including looking at the age range.
	
		
			  National health service bowel cancer screening programme—activity to 19 February 2007 
			Number of:  
			  Programme hub  Local screening centre  Invitations sent out to 60 to 69-year -olds  People aged 70 and over self- referring for screening  Total 
			 West Midlands and North West (Rugby—started April 2006) Wolverhampton (started July 2006) 20,581 200 20,781 
			  Norwich (started July 2006) 21,946 1,616 23,562 
			  Liverpool (started September 2006) 18,042 264 18,306 
			  Bolton (started February 2007) 1,050 0 1,050 
			  
			 Southern (Guildford—started September 2006) South Devon (started September 2006) 11,405 123 11,528 
			  Gloucestershire (started January 2007) 4,378 128 4,506 
			  
			 London (St. Mark's, Harrow—started October 2006) St Mark's, Harrow (started October 2006) 12,204 67 12,271 
			  South West London St. George's—started November 2006) 6,479 77 6,556 
			  
			 North East (Gateshead started February 2007) South Tyne (started February 2007) 1,897 0 1,897 
			  Tees (started February 2007) 1,433 0 1,433 
			  
			 Eastern (Nottingham— due to start March 2007) — — — — 
			 Total  99,415 2,475 101,890

Community Nurses: Cumbria

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) district and  (b) community nurses were employed by Cumbria Primary Care Trust in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: qualified community nursing staff in each specified organisation 
			  Headcount 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Total specified organisations 487 533 529 662 677 
			   
			 Carlisle and District Primary Care Trust total 193 197 205 228 228 
			 District nurses 35 19 31 32 29 
			 Health visitors 30 4 19 34 33 
			 School nursing nurses (1)— (1)— (1)— 13 10 
			 General practitioner practice nurses 59 58 57 59 59 
			 Other qualified community services nurses 69 116 98 90 97 
			   
			 Eden Valley PCT Total 104 118 127 150 153 
			 District nurses 9 12 16 28 25 
			 Health visitors 21 1 6 10 9 
			 School nursing nurses (1)— (1)— (1)— 4 3 
			 General practitioner practice nurses 35 43 33 39 39 
			 Other qualified community services nurses 39 62 72 69 77 
			   
			 West Cumbria PCT Total 190 218 197 284 296 
			 District nurses 56 46 36 44 39 
			 Health visitors 17 25 14 41 39 
			 School nursing nurses (1)— (1)— (1)— 10 8 
			 General practitioner practice nurses 72 78 83 87 80 
			 Other qualified community services nurses 45 69 64 102 130 
			 (1 )Not applicable. Returns for school nursing staff did not become mandatory until the 2004 census.   Source: The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.

Dementia: Research

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government funding was provided for research into  (a) prevention,  (b) treatment and  (c) cure of dementia in each of the last five years; and what percentage of the health budget this represented in each year.

Ivan Lewis: The most recent information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Expenditure on dementia research (£ million)  
			   Department of Health  Medical Research Council  Total  Percentage of total national health service expenditure 
			 2000-01 4.7 8.2 12.9 0.03 
			 2001-02 2.9 6.6 9.5 0.02 
			 2002-03 1.6 6.6 8.2 0.02 
			 2003-04 1.1 7.4 8.5 0.01 
			 2004-05 0.6 6.2 6.8 0.01 
		
	
	The departmental figures relate to national research programme expenditure. They do not include the part of the research and development allocations made annually to NHS providers that has been spent on dementia research. This information and information on the breakdown of funding for research into the prevention, treatment and cure of dementia is not held centrally.

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were received by her Department and its executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have been received in 2006-07 to date.

Ivan Lewis: The Department cannot identify complaints figures for 1997-98 and 2001-02 except at disproportionate cost.
	Volumes of complaints are calculated by calendar year, not financial year.
	There is a separate complaints procedure for complaints involving the national health service and social care. This is completely independent of the Department.
	The total number of inquiries dealt with by the head of complaints in 2005 was 339, of which most were not categorised as complaints about the Department and its work. The total for 2006 was 256.
	From 1 January 2007 to 26 February we have received five complaints.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) is one of the Department's two Executive agencies. Executive agencies respond to complaints received about their work.
	
		
			   Number of reports available 
			 1997-98 0 
			 2001-02 4 
			 2005-06 11 
			 2006-07 7 
		
	
	PASA logs as complaints only those where they have a specific issue relating to the performance or specific activity done by the agency rather than complaints about policy.
	
		
			  The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) 
			   Number of reports available 
			 1997-98 2 
			 2001-02 2 
			 2005-06 4 
			 2006-07 3 
		
	
	These are formal complaints that were referred to the central complaints officer to deal with. MHRA does not have records of complaints that were dealt with at local level for these periods.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what her Department's total expenditure on centrally funded  (a) initiatives,  (b) services and  (c) special allocations was in each year since 1997-98; and what anticipated expenditure is in 2006-07;
	(2)  what the  (a) titles and  (b) values are of the programmes which were transferred from her Department's central budget to the NHS budget in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Tables have been placed in the Library and they provide:
	(a) listings of all allocations by budget title and value to national health service organisations from 1997-98 to 2005-06;
	(b) total expenditure of the centrally funded, initiatives services and special allocations programme from 1997-98 to 2005-06;
	(c) special allocations issued with initial allocations from 1997-98 to 2005-06; and
	(d) special allocations and associated budgets issued to NHS organisations as additional allocations (and which are included in the tables described in (a) and (b) above).
	There is no recognised division in the centrally funded initiatives services and special allocations programme between initiatives and services.
	Full year 2006-07 information on centrally funded initiatives services and special allocations are not yet available, but the 2006-07 Departmental Report which has a provisional publication date of May 2007 will provide a breakdown of the main budget lines.
	The tables correct the information given in answer to the hon. Member for the Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1693W.

Eating Disorders

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take over the next two years to tackle eating disorders.

Rosie Winterton: We take the issue of eating disorders, especially among young people, very seriously. This is why the Department asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce a clinical guideline on the core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders, and which NICE published in 2004. The guideline covers physical and psychological treatments, treatment with medicines, and information specifically for patients, carers and the general public. The guideline is due for review in January 2008.
	In the four years to the end of March 2007, we will have invested over £400 million of additional money into the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provided by the national health service and local authorities. These funds will assist in meeting and maintaining the Department's public service agreement (PSA) standard of a comprehensive CAMHS, including services for young people with an eating disorder. Further funds totalling £134 million have been made available to the NHS and local authorities in 2006-07 to help achieve a comprehensive CAMHS in every area by the end of 2006 and that it is maintained thereafter.
	As primary care trusts (PCTs) consider local health needs and commissioned services, they will need to assess whether the right balance exists between in-patient care and home-based care, particularly at a highly specialised levels, to help individuals with eating disorders. This means that PCTs will need to consider their commissioning role, where they work with local organisations and opportunities exist to commission services jointly, for example where voluntary organisations can provide services more effectively than statutory services.
	We made a manifesto commitment in 2005 to increase the provision of psychological therapies. This followed 2001 Department guidelines on treatment choice in psychological therapies which included eating disorders, and 2004 guidance, "Organising and Delivering Psychological Therapies", to help local services to understand best practice and how to organise local services to support access. Last year we embarked on a new programme, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, (IAPT), to provide more effective and timely access to psychological therapies for people with mild to moderate mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. IAPT's two national demonstration sites in Newham and Doncaster, and a national programme of regional projects, will complete their work by March 2008 but interim results are showing positive gains in health and wellbeing in many of the 3,500 people already referred to the service.
	Between 2004 and 2009, the Department is also funding a five-year initiative, Shift, to tackle the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues in England. Shift works with young people and professionals to promote awareness of all mental health problems, including eating disorders.
	We fund several voluntary sector organisations involved with eating disorders, including Weight Concern and beat, formerly the Eating Disorder Association for whom we are funding a three-year pathways to recovery project, which provides a support network of people who have had eating disorders. This project, which began in June 2006, will receive £131,000 over its three-year duration. The Department is also considering whether we can undertake further research into eating disorders through the National Institute for Health Research, about which I hope to make an announcement in the near future.

Heart Diseases: Accident and Emergency Departments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many major accident and emergency departments in England offer primary angioplasty.

Rosie Winterton: Primary angioplasty is carried out in a catheter laboratory by a team of professionals including a cardiologist with training in angioplasty techniques, cardiac nurse and scientific and technical staff. It does not take place in an accident and emergency department although some hospitals have a catheter laboratory, which is situated close to the emergency department.
	There are currently about 30 centres able to offer primary angioplasty, 50 per cent. of these offer, a 24 hour a day, seven day a week service. A small number of centres are in hospitals without an emergency department.
	 Source:
	British Cardiovascular Intervention Society audit of angioplasty as at September 2006.

Midwives

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant midwives there are in the NHS in England, broken down by region; and whether her Department has a target for the number of NHS consultant midwives.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number of national health service consultant midwives by strategic health authority (SHA) area.
	The Department has not set a target for the number of NHS consultant midwives.
	
		
			  NHS consultant midwives by SHA area as at 30 September 2005 
			  SHA area  Headcount 
			  England  51 
			   
			 North East 2 
			 North West 10 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 5 
			 East Midlands 3 
			 West Midlands 1 
			 East of England 1 
			 London 20 
			 South East Coast 2 
			 South Central 7 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census

National Patient Safety Agency

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the absence from work of the joint chief executives of the National Patient Safety Agency.

Ivan Lewis: The joint chief executives of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) began a period of extended leave on 7 July 2006 and an interim chief executive was appointed on 31 July 2006. The agency has continued to deliver the work programme for 2006- 07 that it agreed with the Department.
	The joint chief executives are due to retire on 31 March 2007 and the NPSA is currently in the process of recruiting a permanent chief executive.

NHS: Manpower

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for delaying the publication of the NHS workforce census.

Rosie Winterton: The Information Centre for health and social care had planned to publish the workforce census in March 2007, this will now be published in April 2007.
	This is because the reorganisation of primary care trusts (PCTs), which took place on 1 October 2006, has impacted on the collection process. Data has been provided by PCTs in different formats and this has required extensive validation (of the quality of data submitted), to ensure consistency with previous years. In many instances new staff within PCTs have been involved in this process, which has led to delays
	In addition over 200 organisations have submitted workforce data through the new national payroll system, the electronic staff record (ESR). Additional data validation has been undertaken to ensure that in the first year of deriving census information from this source, it is of at least equivalent quality to that previously collected directly from trusts and PCTs.
	The Information Centre for health and social care is working with the Department to review systems for collecting workforce information and looking at ways of building on the development of the ESR. When the ESR is fully rolled out across the national health service in 2008 this should enable comprehensive workforce data to be available more quickly and frequently.

Nurses: Schools

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many school nurses were employed in each health region in England in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many school nurses there are in each health region in England.

Rosie Winterton: The number of school nurses employed in each health region is shown in the table. School nurses have only been separately identified robustly in the national health service workforce census since 2004.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nurses in the school nursing area of work in England by strategic health authority area as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Headcount 
			   2004   2005  
			   Qualified school nursing nurses  Of which: qualified school nurses( 1)  Qualified school nursing nurses  Of which: qualified school nurses( 1) 
			 England 2,409 856 2,887 943 
			 North East Strategic Health Authority area 145 64 164 61 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority area 468 157 471 192 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority area 303 115 402 132 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 230 38 255 34 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 185 110 264 110 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority area 186 71 287 50 
			 London Strategic Health Authority area 363 131 471 168 
			 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority area 180 82 203 97 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority area 111 45 117 33 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority area 238 43 253 66 
			 (1) Qualified school nurses hold the NMC specialist practice qualification with an outcome in school nursing, which is a recordable qualification on the NMC register. School nursing nurses have only been collected from 2004 as a separate category.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.

Paramedical Staff: Manpower

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paramedics there were in each year since 2000; and what the projected numbers are in each year to 2010.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of paramedics in the national health service in England since 2000.
	It is for local planners with support from the workforce review team to determine their future requirement for paramedics to meet local service needs.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: paramedic staff 2000-05 
			  Paramedic  Headcount 
			 2000 6,790 
			 2001 7,075 
			 2002 7,147 
			 2003 7,241 
			 2004 7,536 
			 2005 8,311 
			  Source: NHS non medical census

Patients: Per Capita Costs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of expenditure by her Department on  (a) male and  (b) female patients aged (i) 0 to 5, (ii) 5 to 9, (iii) 10 to 14, (iv) 15 to 20, (v) 21 to 25, (vi) 26 to 30, (vii) 31 to 40, (viii) 41 to 50, (ix) 51 to 60, (x) 61 to 70, (xi) 71 to 80 and (xii) over 80, excluding costs relating to maternity care and childbirth, in the latest year for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: The table shows the breakdown by age and gender of total hospital and community health services (HCHS) expenditure for the year 2003-04, excluding costs relating to maternity care and childbirth.
	The age groups from the programme budget differ to those requested.
	2003-04 is the latest year this data is available. Due to a change in national programme budgeting categories from 2004-05 onwards, we no longer collect HCHS expenditure data broken down by age and gender.
	
		
			  HCHS expenditure by age group and gender, 2003-04, millions 
			  Age group  0-4  5-15  16-44  45-64  65-74  75-84  85+  Total 
			 Expenditure (£ million) 2,376 1,461 9,245 7,021 5,890 6,763 3,818 36,574 
			  Of which: 
			 Male 1,217 749 4,632 3,470 2,783 2,740 1,090 17,873 
			 Female 1,160 712 4,613 3,551 3,107 4,022 2,727 18,701 
			  Notes: 1. Figures in table may not sum due to rounding.  2. The total HCHS expenditure in 2003-04 was £38,151 million. The difference of £1,577 million is attributable to maternity care and childbirth.

Smoking

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the percentage of adults aged 16 and over who smoked in each year since 1977, broken down by gender.

Caroline Flint: Information on smoking prevalence for those aged 16 and over is available from the general household survey. The following table shows the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults, by gender in England, from 1978 to 2005, the earliest and latest years for which these data are available.
	
		
			  Prevalence of cigarette smoking in adults( 1)  by gender, 1978 to 2005, England 
			  Percentage 
			   All adults  Men  Women 
			  Unweighted
			 1978 40 44 36 
			 1982 35 37 32 
			 1986 32 34 31 
			 1990 29 31 28 
			 1992 28 29 27 
			 1994 26 28 25 
			 1996 28 28 27 
			 1998 27 28 26 
			 
			  Weighted
			 1998 28 29 26 
			 2000 27 29 25 
			 2001 27 28 25 
			 2002 26 27 25 
			 2003 25 27 24 
			 2004 25 26 23 
			 2005(2) 24 25 22 
			 
			 Weighted bases 2005 (000)(3) 35,936 16,834 19,102 
			 Unweighted bases 2005(3) 18,613 8,663 9,950 
			 (1 )Aged 16 and over (2) 2005 data includes last quarter of 2004-05 data due to survey change from financial year to calendar year (3) Trend tables show unweighted and weighted figures for 1998 to give an indication of the effect of the weighting. Bases for earlier years can be found in GHS reports for each year.  Source:  General Household Survey 2005. Office for National Statistics

Tuberculosis: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1977W, on tuberculosis in Greater London, if she will break down the figures by nationality of the patient.

Caroline Flint: Information on the nationality of tuberculosis patients is not collected centrally, although information is collected on country of birth. Because of the small numbers of cases reported by most countries of birth for individual boroughs, and the consequent risk of deductive disclosure, the following table provides aggregated data for the London region.
	
		
			  Country of birth  Number of cases reported in 2005 
			 Afghanistan 53 
			 Albania <10 
			 Algeria <10 
			 Angola 16 
			 Antigua and Barbuda <10 
			 Australia <10 
			 Bahrain <10 
			 Bangladesh 120 
			 Belgium <10 
			 Bolivia <10 
			 Brazil <10 
			 Bulgaria <10 
			 Burundi <10 
			 Cameroon <10 
			 Canada <10 
			 Central Africa <10 
			 China 30 
			 Colombia <10 
			 Congo 39 
			 Cote d'Ivoire 12 
			 Cuba <10 
			 Cyprus <10 
			 Dominica <10 
			 Ecuador <10 
			 Egypt <10 
			 Equatorial Guinea <10 
			 Eritrea 32 
			 Ethiopia 33 
			 France <10 
			 Gabon <10 
			 Gambia <10 
			 Georgia <10 
			 Germany <10 
			 Ghana 40 
			 Greece <10 
			 Grenada <10 
			 Guinea <10 
			 Guyana <10 
			 Hungary <10 
			 India 474 
			 Indonesia <10 
			 Iran, Islamic Republic of 13 
			 Ireland 26 
			 Italy <10 
			 Jamaica 33 
			 Kenya 86 
			 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of <10 
			 Kuwait <10 
			 Lebanon <10 
			 Lesotho <10 
			 Liberia <10 
			 Lithuania <10 
			 Malawi <10 
			 Malaysia 13 
			 Malta <10 
			 Mauritania <10 
			 Mauritius <10 
			 Mexico <10 
			 Mongolia <10 
			 Morocco 12 
			 Mozambique <10 
			 Myanmar <10 
			 Namibia <10 
			 Nepal 21 
			 New Zealand <10 
			 Niger <10 
			 Nigeria 104 
			 Pakistan 221 
			 Palestinian Territory, occupied <10 
			 Peru <10 
			 Philippines 28 
			 Poland <10 
			 Portugal 15 
			 Qatar <10 
			 Romania <10 
			 Russian Federation <10 
			 Rwanda <10 
			 Saudi Arabia <10 
			 Serbia and Montenegro <10 
			 Sierra Leone 32 
			 Singapore <10 
			 Solomon Islands <10 
			 Somalia 404 
			 South Africa 51 
			 Spain <10 
			 Sri Lanka 69 
			 Sudan <10 
			 Swaziland <10 
			 Sweden <10 
			 Tajikistan <10 
			 Tanzania 11 
			 Thailand 11 
			 Togo <10 
			 Trinidad and Tobago <10 
			 Tunisia <10 
			 Turkey 25 
			 Uganda 77 
			 United Kingdom 589 
			 United States <10 
			 Uzbekistan <10 
			 Vietnam 23 
			 West Indies <10 
			 Yemen <10 
			 Zambia 21 
			 Zimbabwe 61 
			 Country of birth not reported 450 
			 Total 3,479 
			  Note: Numbers of cases fewer than 10 are not provided by country of birth because of the risk of deductive disclosure.  Source: Health Protection Agency Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance.

Urology: Medical Treatments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans her Department has to assist people with urology, continence and stoma problems in obtaining alternative service providers in the event that their current providers exceed the prescribed number of items they are allowed to dispense;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact on service providers of changes proposed recently by her Department to services for people with urology, continence and stoma problems;
	(3)  which organisations her Department consulted concerning proposals to change services for people with urology, continence and stoma problems; and what representations she has received on the adequacy of the consultation.

Ivan Lewis: We are currently consulting on changes to the payment process for items and services related to stoma and incontinence appliances within part IX of the Drug Tariff. Interested parties wishing to comment on these proposals can do so until the deadline of 2 April 2007.
	As this consultation process is ongoing, no decisions, or plans, on changes to services for stoma and incontinence appliances have been finalised.
	It is not meaningful to provide a list of organisations consulted, or representations on the adequacy of the consultation process, until the consultation process has ended.

Burglary

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidences of domestic burglary were recorded in each Police Service of Northern Ireland district command unit area in each of the last 12 months; and how many people were apprehended for this crime over the same period.

Paul Goggins: Table 1 outlines the number of domestic burglaries recorded and cleared, by district command unit (DCU), during period 1 February 2006 to 31 January 2007. The PSNI do not collate statistics by the number of persons apprehended.
	Table 2 sets out details of the number of persons arrested for domestic burglary by DCU during the period 1 February 2006 to 31 January 2007. We have included this second table as it sets out the number of arrests per custody suite and not DCU as this is how it is recorded at present as not all DCU's have custody suites.
	
		
			  Table 1: Domestic burglaries recorded and cleared by district command unit—1 February 2006 to 31 January 2007 
			  District command unit  Recorded  Cleared 
			 Antrim 174 12 
			 Ards 139 13 
			 Armagh 275 43 
			 Ballymena 221 20 
			 Ballymoney 42 0 
			 Banbridge 172 5 
			 Carrickfergus 105 8 
			 Castlereagh 253 18 
			 Coleraine 147 18 
			 Cookstown 46 6 
			 Craigavon 385 19 
			 Down 256 36 
			 Dungannon and S. Tyrone 154 17 
			 East Belfast 379 29 
			 Fermanagh 143 11 
			 Foyle 469 74 
			 Larne 78 10 
			 Limavady 94 13 
			 Lisburn 667 44 
			 Magherafelt 58 6 
			 Moyle 39 9 
			 Newry and Mourne 367 24 
			 Newtownabbey 316 24 
			 North Belfast 489 48 
			 North Down 240 31 
			 Omagh 86 9 
			 South Belfast 702 107 
			 Strabane 57 12 
			 West Belfast 337 37 
			 Total 6,890 703 
			  Note: Figures are provisional and as such are liable to revision.  Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Persons arrested for domestic burglary 1 February 2006- 31 January 2007 
			  District command unit  Number 
			 Antrim 58 
			 Ards 51 
			 Armagh 18 
			 Ballymena 34 
			 Banbridge 27 
			 Belfast East 62 
			 Belfast North 123 
			 Belfast South 102 
			 Belfast West 107 
			 Coleraine 64 
			 Cookstown 26 
			 Craigavon 22 
			 Down 66 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 14 
			 Fermanagh 16 
			 Foyle 96 
			 Limavady 22 
			 Lisburn 56 
			 Newry and Mourne 8 
			 Omagh 23 
			 Strabane 27 
			 Total 1,022

Dogs: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dogs classified as dangerous under the relevant dangerous dogs legislation were signed over for humane destruction in Northern Ireland in each district council area in each of the past six months, broken down by breed of dog involved.

David Cairns: Local councils provide statistical information to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), with respect to enforcement of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 (as amended). The information is provided on a quarterly basis and includes the number of dogs destroyed under the legislation.
	The number of dogs handed in for humane destruction from March 2006 is detailed in the following table. From the information provided to DARD by local councils, it is understood that the dogs involved were all pit bull types. As these figures are incomplete and do not include details for all councils for the last quarter of 2006, I will write directly to the hon. Member with the complete data as soon as they become available.
	
		
			  Prohibited dogs handed in to local councils for humane destruction 
			   Quarter ending:  
			  Council  31 June 2006  31 September 2006  31 December 2006  Total 
			 Antrim 5 0 0 5 
			 Ards 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Armagh(1) 0 0 0 0 
			 Ballymena 4 5 0 9 
			 Ballymoney 0 0 0 0 
			 Banbridge(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Belfast 9 5 9 23 
			 Carrick 0 0 0 0 
			 Castlereagh(1) 1 0 (1)— 1 
			 Coleraine(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Cookstown(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Craigavon 0 0 0 0 
			 Derry(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Down 0 0 0 0 
			 Dungannon 0 0 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 0 0 0 0 
			 Larne(1) 1 0 (1)— 1 
			 Limavady 0 0 0 0 
			 Lisburn 14 0 0 14 
			 Magherafelt 0 0 0 0 
			 Moyle(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Newry 0 0 0 0 
			 Newtownabbey(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 North Down 0 0 0 0 
			 Omagh(1) 0 0 (1)— 0 
			 Strabane 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Total 34 10 9 53 
			 (1) Figures for final quarter of 2006 are not yet available.  Source: Figures supplied to DARD by district councils.

Domestic Wastes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 27 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1258W, on domestic wastes, if he will name the suppliers that the three district councils used to insert microchips in the bins.

David Cairns: The three district councils in Northern Ireland which have claimed grant from the Waste Management Grant Scheme against the costs of "in chipping" are: Craigavon, Newtownabbey and North Down.
	The suppliers used by Craigavon and Newtownabbey were Manvik, and the suppliers used by North Down were AMCS/Waste Management Solutions.

Drug Seizures

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what drugs seizures took place in each Northern Ireland prison in each of the last three years, broken down by drug type seized.

Paul Goggins: The following tables provide the information requested:
	
		
			  January to December 2004 
			   Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank 
			 Cannabis 424.9 grams 156.8 grams 151.4 grams 
			 Diazepam 236.5 tablets 79 tablets — 
			 Temazepam 73 tablets 21 tablets 34 tablets 
			 Heroin 12 tablets — — 
			 Valium 9 tablets 11 tablets — 
			 Amphetamines 60 tablets 5 tablets — 
			  16.8 grams 3.1 grams  
			 Ecstasy 10 tablets 60 tablets 20 tablets 
			 Steroids 116.5 tablets 755 tablets 2 vials 
			   40 mills  
			 Prescription 80 tablets 8 tablets 54 tablets 
			 Unidentified 545 tablets 43 tablets 6 vials 
			 Cocaine 10 tablets — — 
			 LSD 2 tablets — — 
			 Viagra — — 2 tablets 
			 Opium — — — 
			 Barbiturate — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  January to December 2005 
			   Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank 
			 Cannabis 303.3 grams 185. 2 grams 286.7 grams 
			 Diazepam 408.5 tablets — 38. 5 tablets 
			 Temazepam 28 tablets — 31.5 tablets 
			 Heroin 19.6 grams — 13 tablets 
			 Valium 1 tablet — — 
			 Amphetamines 5 tablets — — 
			 Ecstasy 1 tablet — 15 tablets 
			 Steroids 174 tablets 10 tablets 3 vials 
			  3 vials   
			 Prescription — — — 
			 Unidentified 263 tablets 42 tablets 50.5 tablets 
			 Cocaine 1 gram — — 
			 LSD — — — 
			 Viagra — — — 
			 Opium 2 tablets — — 
			 Barbiturate — — 2 grams 
		
	
	
		
			  January to December 2006 
			   Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank 
			 Cannabis 316.7 grams 57.3 grams 30.35 grams 
			 Diazepam 465 tablets 200 tablets 15 tablets 
			 Temazepam 37 tablets — 4 tablets 
			 Heroin 3.9 grams — — 
			  5 tablets   
			 Valium 39 tablets — — 
			 Amphetamines 35 tablets — — 
			 Ecstasy 25 tablets — — 
			 Steroids 64 tablets — — 
			  3.1 grams   
			 Prescription 434 tablets 96 tablets 29 tablets 
			 Unidentified 534.5 tablets 223.5 tablets 2 tablets 
			   10.1 grams  
			 Cocaine — — — 
			 LSD 12.7 grams — — 
			 Viagra — — — 
			 Opium — — — 
			 Barbiturate — — —

Macular Degeneration

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland  (a) have wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD),  (b) were diagnosed with wet AMD in each of the last five years and  (c) he estimates will be diagnosed with wet AMD in the next 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department does not collect figures on the number of people who have wet age-related macular degeneration in Northern Ireland.
	 (b) The number of people diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration is not available. Information is available only on the number of admissions(1) to hospital, where the patient had a diagnosis of wet age-related macular degeneration.
	The following table shows the number of admissions(1) in Northern Ireland, during each year between 2001-02 and 2005-06 (the latest year for which figures are available), where at least one of the diagnoses was wet age-related macular degeneration.
	
		
			   Admissions( 1) 
			 2001-02 270 
			 2002-03 369 
			 2003-04 359 
			 2004-05 472 
			 2005-06 438 
			 (1) Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation to admissions.  Source: Hospital In-patient System. 
		
	
	The only treatment currently available to patients suffering from wet age-related macular degeneration on the NHS is photodynamic therapy. Patients for whom photodynamic therapy is not appropriate have two options:
	1. They can be reviewed as out-patients because they may become eligible for photodynamic therapy should their condition change; and
	2. They will be offered low vision support—for example, fitted with specialist glasses.
	Other drug therapies do exist which are yet to be approved by NICE and financially approved by commissioners.
	 (c) The number of people who will be diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration in the next 12 months is not available.

Parliament Buildings

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of external lighting of Parliament Buildings is for the most recent period for which figures are available in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The cost of electricity for Parliament Buildings over the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 117 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 130 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 125 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 82 
			 April 2006 to November 2006 75 
		
	
	The slightly lower figures for 2005 and 2006 are primarily down to there being less people in the building.
	These costs are for total electricity usage as it is not possible to separate the cost of external lighting.

Public Sector: Pay

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the pay award to nurses and other public sector workers for 2007-08; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this announcement of the  (a) morale and  (b) productivity of public sector workers in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: I am discussing the application of the recent Pay Review Body settlements with ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury. Where comparable, the settlements, including nurses and other health professionals will apply in Northern Ireland. The Pay Review Body pay awards should ensure that the public sector can recruit, retain and motivate suitable staff. The Government have achieved a great deal in recent years with significantly increased investment in public services, with the NHS being the main beneficiary. This in turn has led to greatly increased pay for front line staff, fully recognising the hard work they undertake and service they offer on a daily basis. On balance, the latest pay award ensures that key front line workers continue to be fairly rewarded while maintaining the wider need for overall awards that help maintain our current UK economic success.
	While Northern Ireland health care workers are not formally covered by the Pay Review Bodies this will change in 2008-09 when these staff groups are incorporated formally into the pay review body process. A productivity working group has been established in Northern Ireland following the independent Appleby Review. This group will continue to monitor and assess productivity levels in the local health sector.

Pupils: Intimidation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance and guidance is provided by his Department to help  (a) teachers and  (b) pupils deal with bullying.

Maria Eagle: The Department has taken pro-active steps to tackle bullying through development and publication of guidance. Furthermore, the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 2003, which came into operation on 1 April 2003, places a duty on all grant-aided schools to have an anti-bullying policy and to draw up measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils. Inspections of pastoral care arrangements in schools include an assessment of anti-bullying measures and if improvements can be made schools are advised at the time.
	In 2004 the Department in partnership with voluntary organisations, including Save the Children, established an Anti-bullying Forum to enable a collaborative and co-ordinated approach to tackling bullying in schools. The Forum enables members to share models of best practice, disseminate information, to develop and co-ordinate joint initiatives and to ensure that schools and organisations working with children and young people are able to develop appropriate strategies to prevent and deal with bullying behaviours.
	From early 2006 the Department has been funding a coordinator post attached to the NI Anti-Bullying Forum. She is currently involved in developing a regional anti-bullying strategy based on good practice here and elsewhere and in developing a support network for schools. In addition she will be researching best practice solutions to emerging problems such as cyber-bullying.

Roads: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to the public purse was of the road gritting programme in Northern Ireland between 1 November and 31 January in each of the last four years.

David Cairns: The chief executive of roads service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 19 February 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding, what the total cost to the public purse was of the road gritting programme in Northern Ireland between 1st November and 31st January in each of the last four years. As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	I can advise that the total cost of Roads Service's winter gritting programme in Northern Ireland between lst November and 31st January in each of the last four years is as follows:
	
		
			   Cost of winter gritting programme (£000) 
			 1 November 2003 to 31 January 2004 2,072 
			 1 November 2004 to 31 January 2005 2,064 
			 1 November 2005 to 31 January 2006 1,822 
			 1 November 2006 to 31 January 2007 (1)1,770 
			 (1 )Approximately

Swans

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of whooper swans that settle in Northern Ireland each year; where they stay; whether any of the sites are potentially affected by road schemes; and if he will make a statement on the protections afforded to the swans;
	(2)  when he expects to reply to question 119455, on the protection afforded to whooper swans in Northern Ireland, tabled by the right hon. Member for Worthing West on 27 February for answer on 6 February.

David Cairns: Due to an administrative oversight question 119455 was not answered earlier.
	The most recent survey recorded 4,331 whooper swans in Northern Ireland in January 2005.
	There are five main sites that regularly support whooper swans in numbers of international or regional importance. These are Upper Lough Erne, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, Lough Foyle, River Foyle, River Lagan-Flatfield and River Blackwater-Derryscollop. There are a number of other smaller, more widely dispersed flocks.
	My officials are aware of only one road scheme with the potential to impact on a whooper swan site. This is the proposed further road development at Toome, County Londonderry. This is still at the planning stage and is subject to an assessment as required by article 6 of the Habitats Directive. Recent surveys of the swans at this location will provide further information on the number and behaviour of birds overwintering on Lough Beg.
	Whooper swan is listed in Annex II of the Birds Directive and three special protection areas have been classified for them at Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, Lough Foyle and Upper Lough Erne.
	Whooper swan is also listed on schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, which affords protection for them throughout Northern Ireland.

Towerview School, Bangor

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timetable is for the new school build for Towerview Primary School in Bangor; whether he expects this timetable to be met; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: I understand that planning for Towerview Primary School is well advanced and that final design stage costs are to be submitted by the South Eastern Education and Library Board to the Department of Education for approval. Once design costs have been received and approved it would normally take a few months to complete the remaining stages before construction work could commence. I would therefore expect the scheme should be able to start by the summer and take around 12 to 15 months to finish, subject to the necessary stages being completed satisfactorily.

Translink: Closed Circuit Television

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Translink public transport fleet has CCTV fitted; and what assessment he has made of the impact of CCTV in deterring crime on the transport network where it is used.

David Cairns: Translink has advised that the percentage of public transport that has been fitted with CCTV is as follows; Metro 64 per cent., Ulsterbus 22 per cent., NIR 61 per cent.
	Case studies of bus security and good practice clearly indicate that CCTV has a role to play in crime reduction and improved driver/passenger security and that staff morale and customer confidence is increased by the use of on-board CCTV. It is the intention that all new vehicles are fully equipped with CCTV systems at build stage.

Travel: Concessions

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of those eligible were issued with a Smart Pass in each of the last six years, broken down by eligibility category.

David Cairns: The information is not readily available in the form requested. SmartPasses were first issued by the Department for Regional Development in March 2002 and became operational in May 2002. Although the number issued is known, there is no record of the number of former passholders who are now deceased. The following table sets out the number of first-time passes issued by eligibility category in each of the last six financial years. These figures do not include SmartPasses issued to replace those reported lost, damaged, stolen, etc. It has not been possible to obtain exact figures for eligible populations, but the table includes estimates used for planning and budgetary purposes.
	
		
			  Financial year  Senior  War pensioner  Blind  Half fare 
			 2001-02 54,218 0 0 0 
			 2002-03 98,795 1,126 0 0 
			 2003-04 14,966 69 1,268 1,781 
			 2004-05 10,735 58 101 6,719 
			 2005-06 11,412 57 61 2,557 
			 2006-07 (to 28 February 2007) 11,764 56 74 1,825 
			 Total SmartPasses issued 201,890 1,366 1,504 12,882 
			 Estimated eligible population (1)240,000 (2)3,640 (3)5,000 (4)150,000 
			 (1 )Mid-year population estimates Northern Ireland 2004 (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). (2) Source: The Veterans Agency (3) Source: The Royal National Institute for the Blind (4) Source: Based on total of DLA Mobility Component recipients (DSDNI), and estimates of total numbers of registered partially sighted, learning disabled and not eligible to receive a driving licence on medical grounds.

Water: Meters

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Northern Ireland Administration is taking to provide the option of water metering for households that wish to opt in to a meter.

David Cairns: As the first steps in a managed, long-term transition to widespread metering, from 1 April 2007 meters will be installed on all new connections (new build properties and first time connections); and, all consumers aged 60 years or over will be able to apply for a meter. Information packs, including how to apply for a meter, are currently being circulated to all households in Northern Ireland.
	This phased approach will be reviewed within two years when decisions will be taken about extending the metering option to further groups of consumers.